Tory MP demands probe into Starmer's lockdown beer after Partygate

Controversial: Politics & Govt Politics & Govt: In The News
, , ,
1

Sir Keir Starmer could face a fresh police probe for having a beer with colleagues during lockdown in the wake of the Partygate fine handed to Boris Johnson.

The Labour leader was photographed ‘drinking and socialising’ in an MP’s office when households were banned from mixing indoors.

He was cleared of breaching any rules after Durham Constabulary looked at footage of the event, which took place during campaigning for the Hartlepool by-election a year ago.

Richard Holden, Tory MP for North West Durham, said there was a strong public interest in reassessing the Labour leader’s case in light of the fines issued to the PM and the Chancellor.

Mr Holden added: ‘I do not believe the photographed activity meets the “functional but not social” test in the guidance on political campaigning in campaign rooms.’

Labour and Durham Constabulary declined to comment last night.

Will something come of this or is it just another pathetic Tory attempt to distract the gullible from the ongoing exposure to BJ’s blustering Partygate prevarications … :wink:

1 Like
2

Police last night opened the door to a full probe into claims that Keir Starmer broke lockdown rules when he was filmed drinking with party officials.

Durham Constabulary said it would consider a request from Tory MP Richard Holden to review a controversial decision that cleared the Labour leader.

Senior Conservatives insisted the force should now launch a full investigation into Sir Keir’s conduct, saying there appeared to be no difference between the event that he attended and the ‘birthday party’ in No 10 for which Boris Johnson was fined £50.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said that Sir Keir was a ‘hypocrite’ who should be ‘subjected to the same standard’ as the PM.

Critics say Sir Keir cannot have it both ways – insisting he is exempt because he was at a work meeting while simultaneously criticising the PM for using the same excuse.

People living in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.

1 Like
3

The Labour MP for Ealing Central and Acton was probed on whether Starmer was more focused on the Government’s Partygate scandal than the cost of living crisis by Dan Wootton’s GB News team on Wednesday. Rather than answering the question, Huq decided to run away down the street. Wootton branded the MP a “wuss” for “sprinting” from the cameras.

1 Like
4

It’s just another distraction technique.

Pathetic whataboutery from the Johnson fanboys and fangirls trying to defend the indefensible.

And they are missing the point completely

Starmer wasn’t the PM and leader of our country who made the rules, then broke them, making fools of those of us who kept to them at great personal cost

Starmer wasn’t PM prepared to lie about it to Parliament to cover his own backside

Starmer was investigated by the police who decided there was no case to answer.

Johnson was investigated by the police who found he had several cases to answer

2 Likes
5

Quite … :+1:

6

Hi

My personal view.

The Tories have to be careful.

They are getting to be an acute annoyance to the Police and Enforcement Officers.

The very people who have all the evidence to sink them.

Slagging them off in Public and relying on the convention that they say nothing is not going to continue to work.

It is a convention that has worked for decades, now Boris is ignoring all the conventions and threatening people, there will be, sooner or later, a retaliation.

That will not be good.

7

Sir Keir Starmer launched Labour’s local election campaign in Barnet, but all he could talk about was ‘partygate’, anything but his own party’s atrocious track record in town halls across London. In Barnet, we are surrounded by Labour-run councils, all of which have higher council tax, fewer bin collections, lower educational attainment, and are hell-bent on penalising motorists. The car is essential for outer-London radial travel, yet Labour boroughs are imposing LTNs and raking in fines from confused drivers. Enfield has already raised £4 million which will no doubt be spent on more unused segregated cycle lanes.

Labour-run Harrow reached the shameful milestone of exceeding £2,000 for Band D council tax. Barnet charges almost £300 less. How can Labour councillors and Mayors say they’re concerned about the cost of living whilst taking more money from local taxpayers? I welcomed Government funding for the £150 council tax rebate (on behalf of 80,000 Barnet households); Labour and Lib Dem councillors did so through gritted teeth.

As for levelling up, decades ago we took the brave decision to knock down our worst council estates and start again. New social housing was paid for from the proceeds of new private housing. We even managed to fund new schools and community centres. I knew it was a success when I heard a Labour councillor complain that a regeneration area “would not be deprived for much longer” when we agreed to build new council offices there. The new developments are no longer concentrations of poverty; they are mixed vibrant communities that residents, private and social, are proud of. The difference between our aspiration and Labour’s desire to keep everyone as a client of the state could not be more stark than it is in Barnet.

8

Hi

That is an easy one to answer.

Just look at the formulae for Government Grants to LAs.

9

What’s this got to do with:

“Tory MP demands probe into Starmer’s lockdown beer after Partygate”

10

Richard Holden has been posting misleading information about this - considering the Met have suspended any more announcements re “Partygate” fines because of the impending local elections, then it seems wrong for MPs to be tweeting misleading information about other police investigations of this type.

Whataboutery and dubious pre-election campaigning rolled into one?

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/20097854.richard-holden-claimed-door-open-starmer-case/

1 Like
11

So, Holden’s another Tory prevaricator … monkey see, monkey do … :monkey:

12

Because the author when he’s knocking on the doors is finding people are more interested in local issues rather than Partygate, but all Keir Starmer wanted to talk about was Partygate.

If you wanted new windows installing and invited two companies around to discuss their windows, which company would you choose, the one who didn’t want to discuss their windows, but slag off the competitor, or the one who discussed their windows.

13

So start a thread about it if you have an axe to grind.

14

And can’t be bothered looking for it, but there’s reports now that they denied Angela Rayner was present when Keir Starmer was breaking the law, but there’s proof that she was.

As I’ve previously stated, those who live in glass houses, shouldn’t throw stones.

1 Like
15

The reports are just a click away:

16

As I said, I can’t be bothered with it all and as I posted on one of your many threads. They’ve all broken the rules and who cares. But I do care about the hypocrisy of it all.

And if Boris has been fined due to Labour’s perseverance then Keir Starmer should too.

5 Likes
17

Worth reading this article a real eye opener and will be interesting to see if Starmer ever mentions cake again. Loads of LABOUR LIES in this article, lengthy, but well worth the read:

Sir Keir Starmer was last night accused of hypocrisy for attending a birthday cake celebration in his office during the pandemic.

The Labour leader tucked into the shop-bought chocolate and lemon cakes while coronavirus guidance advised against holding close social gatherings indoors.

Sir Keir has repeatedly demanded Boris Johnson quit for attending an impromptu birthday gathering in the Cabinet Room in June 2020 – just three months before his own celebration.

The PM and Chancellor were hit with fines for breaking lockdown laws that banned indoor gatherings at that time. However, it has now emerged that Sir Keir was given a birthday card and two cakes in his office on his birthday in September 2020.

18

Witnesses claim the City of Durham MP grabbed Mr Holden by the arm with both hands and tried to drag him across the terrace before staff restrained her.

Each witness said the former charity worker, 54, appeared to have been drinking heavily when the incident took place at around 10pm as MPs waited for late-night votes.

Mr Holden confirmed he had received a written apology from Mrs Foy the following morning. He said: ‘Mary has apologised for her totally unacceptable, drunken behaviour on the terrace and I want to leave it at that.’

19

Well said The Sun:

All that sanctimonious sermonising always did seem artificial — a ham actor woodenly performing a rage he didn’t feel, his indignation scripted by speechwriters. Perhaps we now know why.

Starmer chugged beer with workmates during lockdown. It looks a clear rule breach.

He has no viable defence — being “busy” at work isn’t one, or Boris Johnson would be in the clear too.

Labour feebly claims the difference is Boris was fined and Starmer hasn’t been.

That only shows the Met waded in and Durham cops are less keen . . . they didn’t retrospectively fine Dominic Cummings over his “eye-test” escapade either.

But they must rethink, if only because rules must be applied consistently.

It will be especially unfair if Starmer is not fined while Rishi Sunak was.

The Chancellor, on his way to a meeting in No10, unwittingly stumbled into a small birthday gathering for the PM.

Being teetotal, he drank nothing. For this brief episode he was punished.

What was he supposed to do? Flee the building and dial 999?

Starmer’s breach looks far more deliberate.

For months Labour has also claimed his No2 Angela Rayner, herself given to hyperventilating piously about Boris’s immorality, was not at his beery event.

They were lying. She was. Yet Labour has the gall to brand Tories liars.

The Sun does not downplay Downing Street parties. They were wrong and still rankle with our readers.

But cake­fuelled gatherings happened in many offices and factories during lockdowns.

Labour were certainly at it. Yet they pretend otherwise, hoping to convince Britain they inhabit a higher moral plane than the wicked Tories. It is a ruse.

For all his ceaseless self-promotion as the honest, noble QC, Starmer is an unscrupulous hypocrite.

At least Boris doesn’t claim to be a saint.

1 Like
20

Durham Constabulary said: ‘We have since received further communications on this subject and will now consider the content of those communications and respond in due course.’