Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner CLEARED of Beergate fine: Durham Police say Labour leader and deputy have ‘no case to answer’
- Sir Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner won’t be fined by police over Beergate row
- Labour leader and his deputy cleared of breaking Covid rules over boozy curry
- Durham Constabulary agree with their argument the gathering was ‘work event’
- Both had pledged to resign had they been issued with Fixed Penalty Notice
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner have escaped being fined by police over their Beergate row.
It means Labour’s two most senior figures won’t have to see through their pledge to resign.
Durham Constabulary agreed with the pair’s argument that a boozy curry they held with 15 others in April last year was a ‘work event’.
The force found there was ‘no case to answer’ after concluding their probe into claims the gathering – held at the Miner’s Hall in Durham – breached Covid regulations.
Sir Keir and Ms Rayner had both previously promised to stand down if they were issued with Fixed Penalty Notices for breaking lockdown rules.
Durham Constabulary found the event was ‘reasonably necessary work’ and said they would not be issuing any fines and ‘no further action will be taken’.
They said in a statement: ‘A substantial amount of documentary and witness evidence was obtained which identified the 17 participants and their activities during that gathering.
‘It has been concluded that there is no case to answer for a contravention of the regulations due to the application of an exception, namely reasonably necessary work.
‘Accordingly, Durham Constabulary will not be issuing any Fixed Penalty Notices in respect of the gathering and no further action will be taken.’
Sir Keir and Ms Rayner sent back a questionnaire about Beergate to police three weeks ago and had been left sweating on the outcome of the Durham Constabulary investigation.
Their promise to resign – if they had been fined – had left open the prospect of a Labour leadership contest being run simultaneously to the battle to become Boris Johnson’s replacement as Tory leader.
Sir Keir Starmer had faced the prospect of having to resign had he been fined by police over his Beergate row
Labour deputy Angela Rayner stepped up the party’s threat to call a confidence vote in the House of Commons
Boris Johnson intends to carry on as a ‘caretaker’ PM for the time being, while a new Conservative leader is chosen to succeed him
Earlier today, Ms Rayner stepped up a threat to force a confidence vote in the Government if Boris Johnson does not leave Number 10 immediately.
She called on Tory MPs to ‘get their act together’ and hasten the Prime Minister’s exit, or face a Labour effort to bring down the Government if they don’t.
After seeing swathes of Tory MPs and ministers desert him in a tumultuous 48-hour period, the PM yesterday announced his resignation.
But he intends to carry on as a ‘caretaker’ PM for the time being, while a new Conservative leader is chosen to succeed him.
It means Mr Johnson could remain in Downing Street for many weeks yet.
This has angered Tory critics who want him to go immediately – with some touting Deputy PM Dominic Raab as an interim replacement.
Labour are now effectively daring those Tory rebels to take action.
Sir Keir has vowed to bring forward a confidence motion in the House of Commons if Mr Johnson does not vacate No10 swiftly.
By convention, the Government always accepts a demand from the Leader of the Opposition for a confidence motion.
Should the Government then lose a vote on that motion, it could trigger a general election.
Ms Rayner told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘If the Conservatives don’t get their act together and get rid of Boris Johnson – you know, he’s got no confidence of his own party.
‘He’s a proven liar who’s engulfed in sleaze and we can’t have another couple of months of this.
‘So they do have to get rid of him, and if they don’t, we will call a no confidence vote because it’s pretty clear – he hasn’t got the confidence of the House or the British public.’
Despite their attempts to hasten Mr Johnson’s exit as PM, Labour risk uniting the Tories if they do push through a confidence vote.
Tory MP Andrew Bridgen, who is among those who demanded Mr Johnson resign, has branded Sir Keir’s plan as ‘futile’ as he insisted Conservatives would be unlikely to topple their own Government and force a general election.
He told LBC: ‘Every time Labour try and put confidence votes on the Conservatives all it does is force Conservatives to line up behind Boris Johnson.
‘It would be futile. The last thing the country needs is a general election.’
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