Sir Keir Starmer has been cleared over beergate allegations as Tories accused him of putting pressure on the police by threatening to quit if he was fined.
Durham Constabulary said there was “no case to answer” after spending eight weeks investigating claims the Labour leader and his deputy, Angela Rayner, breached lockdown rules by eating curry and drinking beer with colleagues when most indoor gatherings were banned.
Sir Keir and Ms Rayner had both vowed to resign if Durham police issued them with a fixed-penalty notice over the event.
The force announced on Friday that none of the 17 people who had attended the event in April 2021 would receive a fine.
But Conservative politicians suggested there had been a “stitch-up” and accused the former director of public prosecutions of politicising the investigation by vowing to quit if he was fined.
Michael Fabricant, Conservative backbencher, said: “I am surprised how Durham police decided not to fine Starmer and Rayner.
“Many regular people will feel this is another establishment stitch-up.”
Richard Holden, Tory MP for North West Durham, also mocked the outcome of the investigation, posting on Twitter: “After protestations from some of my team, I want to reassure my constituents that my staff have been told that curry and beer are not ‘reasonably necessary for work’ and anyone thinking of turning up intoxicated & smelling like a ‘greasy night’ out will get short shrift.”
But in a speech delivered shortly after the announcement from Durham Constabulary, Sir Keir said he had never had any doubt of his innocence.
He went on: “People said to me I was taking a risk by saying I would step down if I was fined.
“But it was never about that. For me, it was a matter of principle.
“It shouldn’t be controversial to say that those who make the law can’t break the law. But we have to set the bar far higher than that.”
He added: “Honesty and integrity matter. You will always get that from me.”
We’ve always been clear that no rules were broken in Durham. The police have completed their investigation and agreed, saying that there is no case to answer.
— Angela Rayner 🌹 (@AngelaRayner) July 8, 2022
Integrity matters in politics. The contrast with the behaviour of this disgraced Prime Minister couldn’t be clearer.
Durham Constabulary launched a criminal investigation into the beergate event in May, amid claims that up to 30 people had enjoyed beers and curry in the office of Mary Foy, the City of Durham MP in April 2021.
Sir Keir insisted it had simply been a meal break while he and colleagues were campaigning in the Hartlepool by-election and pointed to the legislation that offered an exemption to the ban on indoor gatherings where it was “reasonably necessary for work purposes”.
But critics accused him of flouting rules that millions of others had been forced to follow.
On Friday, a Conservative Party source questioned the outcome of the investigation.
The source said: “People in Durham will be surprised to learn that they were allowed to stand around drinking inside, after work with people from outside their household under Covid restrictions.
“Other forces have obviously taken a different view. Of course if Keir Starmer held himself to the standards he demands of others, he would have resigned two months ago.”
In a statement, Durham Constabulary said it had carried out a “detailed, thorough and proportionate” investigation, adding that a “substantial” amount of evidence had been gathered but there was no case to answer because there was a “work exemption”.
A source said the investigation had been completed and signed off on Friday morning and the statement had been issued as soon as possible afterwards.
