Status: 05/06/2022 5:12 p.m
So far, Prime Minister Johnson’s “Partygate” scandal has occupied Great Britain. Now the police are investigating a “Beergate” against Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labor Party – one day after the local elections.
The leader of the opposition in Great Britain, Keir Starmer, is now also being investigated for a social gathering during lockdown times. Durham County Police, where Starmer campaigned with a team last year, said they had “significant new information”. Therefore, it will be determined whether lockdown rules were broken at the time.
Investigations initially rejected
So now, after all – the authority had previously said it did not consider investigations necessary. Specifically, it is about an evening in April last year when restaurants were largely closed and strict contact restrictions applied – with exceptions for work meetings.
There are recordings of a social gathering in a Labor office in Durham from this period. These had appeared in various media, in particular the conservative “Daily Mail” carried extensive pieces for days on the so-titled “Beergate” incident. One said that food had been ordered for 30 people – and there was also beer. Keir Starmer himself was filmed holding a bottle of beer: hence the term “Beergate”.
Tory diversionary tactics?
A Labor Party spokesman said they were “of course ready to answer questions”. Corona rules were not violated.
But we stand by the fact that no rules were broken.
Keir Starmer, who had also emphasized this more often before, initially did not want to answer any reporter questions about it. His previous explanation was that he and his campaign team ordered curry from the office, ate at work and drank a beer. The Labor leader accused the Tory party of a “mud fight” to distract from his own Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s lockdown parties.
“Beergate” follows “Partygate”.
Johnson had already had to pay a fine for one illegal party, and others are still being investigated. A few days ago, voices from the Tory party called on the police to investigate Starmer’s “Beergate”.
The police about-face comes the day after the general election, which early figures suggest Labor wrested from the Tory party in a number of key counties and cities. Labor leader Starmer was in a celebratory mood after the elections and described the results as a “turning point” for his party. He wrote on Twitter, “The change starts today”.