Starmer not “dodging questions” over beergate allegations, Streeting says

Wes Streeting has insisted that Keir Starmer is not “dodging questions” over allegations that he breached Covid rules while on a trip to Durham last year after the Labour leader cancelled a speaking engagement this afternoon.

Durham police said on Friday that it would be reopening its investigation into an alleged gathering, after which footage emerged of Starmer drinking a beer with colleagues, while campaigning for the Hartlepool by-election last year.

Starmer was due to make a speech and take questions from journalists at an event organised by the Institute for Government (IoG) later today. The IoG said it had received no explanation. Starmer’s spokesperson said: “Plans change.”

Streeting told BBC Breakfast today: “I have no idea why he cancelled the event and I certainly didn’t ask before I came on because I think it’s such a trivial issue. The idea that Keir has been dodging questions…

“I mean he’s been out all weekend, even after a local election campaign where we did very well, he’s been out thanking Labour teams, particularly in the places that we did particularly well in these elections.”

“The idea that Keir is somehow ducking scrutiny is simply not true,” the Shadow Health Secretary added. He told viewers that he would not “even entertain the idea” that the Labour leader would be found to have broken Covid rules.

An internal memo leaked to the press over the weekend appeared to show that the takeaway was a pre-planned event, a “dinner” scheduled, after which the visit would continue. Covid rules at the time stated that indoor gatherings were legal if “reasonably necessary” for a campaign.

Starmer has said the incident in Durham was a work event: he and his team were working late in the final days before last year’s local elections, arguing that this was a normal part of campaign life and being on the road: “At some point, this was in the evening, everybody’s hungry and a takeaway was ordered.”

A new allegation of Covid rule breaking emerged this morning: that the Labour leader’s office invited staffers to a Christmas party in December 2020 – but that the gathering was cancelled when London went into Tier 3 restrictions.

A LOTO spokesperson told LabourList: “The event was planned, restrictions changed, the event was cancelled, because Labour sticks to the rules.” A Labour source said it would have seen a group of up to 40 people gathered at the same venue in separate groups of six.