Keir Starmer and his deputy, Angela Rayner, have been cleared by Durham police for violating the rules blocking a beer and a take-away curry they had with staff during last year’s election campaign, which it will be a great relief for the Labor party.
A police statement said that after an investigation it was decided that the April 2021 meeting was reasonably necessary for work purposes and that no fixed sanction notice had been issued in relation to the event.
Both Starmer and Rayner, who always insisted that the rules had not been breached, had promised to resign if fined, as they had asked Boris Johnson to resign after he was fined for attending a blockade social event in Downing Street.
Durham police initially said there was no case to respond after brief videos of the event appeared on April 30 last year at the office of Durham City Deputy Mary Foy. during a by-election campaign for the nearby seat of Hartlepool.
But in May, the force said it had received “important new information” about the facts and had opened a formal investigation.
Friday’s police statement said: “Following the release of significant new information, Durham police began an investigation into a meeting at Miners’ Hall in Redhills, Durham, on April 30, 2021. This research has already concluded.
“A substantial amount of documentary and testimonial evidence was obtained that identified the 17 participants and their activities during this meeting. After the application of the proof of the complete probative code, it has been concluded that there is no assumption to answer for an infringement of the regulations, for the application of an exception, namely, work reasonably necessary.
“Accordingly, Durham police will not issue any fixed penalty notice in respect of the meeting and no further action will be taken. The investigation has been thorough, detailed and proportionate.”
A Labor spokesman said: “Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner have always been clear that no rule was broken in Durham. The police have finished the investigation and have agreed to say there is no case to answer.”
Starmer is expected to make a statement to the media and take questions later Friday.
The police decision puts an end to the often-controversial saga known as “beergate”, after video footage showed Starmer holding a bottle of beer at the Durham office while his colleagues around him ate food for him. take away.
The decision to reopen the police investigation followed a campaign by local Conservative MP Richard Holden and more than a week of front-page headlines in the Daily Mail.
Labor always insisted that it was clearly within the Covid regulations of the time for Starmer, Rayner and their colleagues to eat and drink while talking about by-elections and local elections that took place on the same day. Electoral activities were allowed specifically according to the rules of the time.
Johnson escaped with a single fine for several events on Downing Street because metropolitan police concluded that as prime minister he had a reasonable work excuse to attend, for example to give exit speeches.