London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 08, 2025

Sir Keir Starmer cleared by police over Durham lockdown beers

Sir Keir Starmer cleared by police over Durham lockdown beers

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and deputy Angela Rayner have been cleared by Durham police of breaking lockdown rules.

It follows an inquiry into an event at a Labour MP's office in April 2021.

In a statement, the police said there was "no case to answer" citing an exemption to lockdown rules for "reasonably necessary work".

Sir Keir said he would have quit his role if he had been fined as "matter of principle", adding "integrity matters".

"It shouldn't be controversial to say that those who make the law can't break the law," he told a press conference.

He said that in the coming days he would set out how a Labour government would "reboot our economy, re-energise our communities, revitalise our public services, and give Britain the fresh start it needs".

He added that he wouldn't "get everything right" and would make mistakes but promised "What you will always get from me is someone who believes honour and integrity matters."

In a statement, Ms Rayner, who had also promised to quit if fined, said: "The contrast with the behaviour of this disgraced prime minister couldn't be clearer."

At the Durham gathering on 30 April, which was in the run-up to the Hartlepool by-election, people drank beer and ate curry in the constituency office of City of Durham MP Mary Foy.

Social distancing rules - including a ban on indoor mixing between households - were in place at the time.

However, Labour had argued the food was consumed between work events, meaning the gathering was within the rules.


This decision matters because it tells you who will lead the Labour Party into the next general election.

Until today, that was far from certain - a colossal pause button pressed on Sir Keir's future; his political fate in the hands of detectives in County Durham.

He'd decided in May that a fine would equal resignation for him; consistent with his demand that it should have meant the same for Boris Johnson.

He can and will now return to his argument that not all politicians are the same; that integrity matters.

He'll argue that contrast is now more stark than ever in comparison with Mr Johnson.

But while he is mighty relieved today, this is also the week that his biggest political challenge, becoming prime minister, arguably became a bit harder.

For having defined himself in opposition to Boris Johnson, he now faces the moving target of a range of possible opponents.

They'll have - for a while at least - the shine of novelty, albeit without their own mandate.

But they may not present him with quite the same scope for critique as he's had in recent months with the prime minister.

Durham Constabulary launched an investigation into the event in May after receiving "significant new information".

Following the investigation, the police have now said they would not be issuing any fines and no further action will be taken.

"There is no case to answer for a contravention of the regulations, due to the application of an exception, namely reasonably necessary work," the police said.

They have also said they would not name those present at the gathering.

Ms Foy said she was "delighted" by the outcome of the inquiry.

But added that it was "unfortunate that the desire of some Conservative politicians has led to so much of Durham police's time being focused on a matter that was already investigated, especially when their resources are already under significant pressure".

Earlier in the year Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie and his then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak were fined for attending a birthday party during lockdown in June 2020.

Following their fines, North West Durham Conservative MP Richard Holden wrote to Durham's chief constable asking her to look again at the claims against Sir Keir, taking into account the Met Police's decision.

Responding to the police's decision, Conservative MP Michael Fabricant said: "I don't think Keir Starmer has done himself any favours today - I'm sorry if this is unjust, but it will reinforce the view of many that it was an establishment stitch-up."

He said he had heard from members of the public who felt the Labour leader had "in effect blackmailed Durham police by saying he would quit if he was fined".


WATCH: Keir Starmer's statement in full

Watch: Footage shows Sir Keir Starmer drinking beer with colleagues in Durham on 30 April 2021


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
OpenAI Launches GPT‑5, Its Most Advanced AI Model Yet
Embarrassment in Britain: Homelessness Minister Evicted Tenants and Forced to Resign
President Trump nominated Stephen Miran, his top economic adviser and a critic of the Federal Reserve, to temporarily fill an open Fed seat
The AI-Powered Education Revolution: Market Potential and Transformative Impact
Chikungunya Virus Outbreak in Southern China: Over 7,000 Hospitalized
French wine makers have seen catastrophic damage to vines that were almost ready to be harvested after the worst fires in more than 70 years burned through the south of the country
US Lawmaker Probes Intel CEO’s China Ties Amid National Security Concerns
Brazilian President Lula says he’ll contact the leaders of BRICS states to propose a unified response to U.S. tariffs
Trump Open to Meeting Putin as Soon as Next Week, with Possible Trilateral Summit Including Zelenskiy
Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau spark dating rumors, joining high stakes world of celeb-politician romances
US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to seek a breakthrough in the Ukraine war ahead of President Trump’s peace deadline
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Karol Nawrocki Inaugurated as Poland’s President, Setting Stage for Clash with Tusk Government
Trump Signals JD Vance as ‘Most Likely’ MAGA Successor for 2028
US Charges Two Chinese Nationals for Illegal Nvidia AI Chip Exports
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
U.S. Tariff Policy Triggers Market Volatility Amid Growing Global Trade Tensions
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
Representative Greene Urges H-1B Visa Cuts Amid U.S.-India Trade Tensions
U.S. House Committee Subpoenas Clintons and Senior Officials in Epstein Investigation
Sydney Sweeney Registered as Republican as Controversial American Eagle Ad Sparks Debate
Trump Accuses Major Banks of Politically Motivated Account Denials and Prepares Executive Order
TikTok Removes Huda Kattan Video Over Anti-Israel Conspiracy Claims
Trump Threatens Tariffs on India Over Russian Oil Imports
German Finance Minister Criticizes Trump’s Attacks on Institutions
U.S. Proposes Visa Bond of Up to $15,000 for Some Applicants
U.S. Farmers Increase Lobbying Amid Immigration Crackdown
Elon Musk Receives $23.7 Billion Tesla Stock Award
Texas House Paralyzed After Democrats Walk Out Over Redistricting
Mexican Cartels Complicate Sheinbaum’s U.S. Security Talks
Mark Zuckerberg Declares War on the iPhone
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
Tesla Seeks Shareholder Approval for $29 Billion Compensation Package for Elon Musk
Nvidia is cutting prices on its RTX 50-series graphics cards after sales slowed and inventories piled up
Ghislaine Maxwell Transferred to Minimum-Security Prison Amid Ongoing DOJ Discussions
U.S. Tariffs Surge to Highest Levels in Nearly a Century Under Second Trump Term
Matt Taibbi Slams Media for Role in Russiagate Narrative
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
×