Keir Starmer will resign if fined for lockdown breach

Keir Starmer will resign as Labour leader if he is fined for breaking lockdown rules.

Durham police confirmed last week that they were reopening an investigation into whether a meeting at an MP’s office in April 2021 breached Covid regulations.

Starmer said he was confident he did not break the rules but confirmed that, if the police issued a fixed penalty notice, he would stand down.

Speaking at a press conference, he said: “I believe in honour, integrity, and the principle that those who make the laws must follow then. I believe the politicians who undermine that principle undermine trust in politicians, undermine democracy, and undermine Britain.

“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.”

“If the police decide to issue me with a fixed penalty notice, I would of course do the right thing and step down,” he added.

The Labour leader was campaigning in Hartlepool ahead of the byelection last year, but was filmed drinking beer and having food at the office of local MP Mary Foy on the evening of 30 April.

At the time, indoor social gatherings were restricted due to concerns about the Delta variant.

The police initially said they believed the event did not break the rules but last Friday, a statement said “significant new information” had come to light.

Starmer has previously called for Boris Johnson to resign after he was given a fixed penalty notice for gatherings which took place in Downing Street.