After his performances in parliament, he’ll be looking pretty silly if he also broke the law..
This report in the Independent says he has said he’ll quit if he’s found to have broken the rules
Keir Starmer has committed to doing “the right thing and step down” as Labour leader if he is fined by police over an allegation he broke coronavirus laws.
The British opposition leader repeatedly denied breaking the laws in a televised statement yesterday afternoon as he faces pressure over a curry-and-beer gathering in Durham last year.
He said the Conservatives accusing him of breaking lockdown rules were “trying to feed cynicism to get the public to believe all politicians are the same”.
“I believe in honour, integrity and the principle that those who make the laws must follow them and I believe that politicians who undermine that principle, undermine trust in politics, undermine our democracy and undermine Britain,” he said, from Labour’s London headquarters.
“I’m absolutely clear that no laws were broken, they were followed at all times, I simply had something to eat while working late in the evening as any politician would do days before an election.
“But if the police decide to issue me with a fixed-penalty notice I would, of course, do the right thing and step down.”
Having faced days of damaging headlines, Mr Starmer was attempting to grab the initiative while putting pressure on prime minister Boris Johnson over his refusal to resign after being fined by police for a lockdown breach.
Questions remained over whether Mr Starmer, a former director of public prosecutions, would stand down if Durham Constabulary suggests he may have broken the rules but does not issue a fine, as it did with former government chief adviser Dominic Cummings.
