Sir Keir Starmer says he will resign as leader of the Labour Party if he is given a fine for breaking covid rules.
The Labour leader is under pressure after Durham Police announced they were investigating him and others over a campaign event in 2021. The force is looking into claims that Sir Keir broke lockdown rules by having a beer and takeaway with staff during the event last year.
The investigation is seen as an awkward one for the Labour leader because he was previously firm in calling for Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak to resign when they were hit with covid fines earlier this year. Neither of them stepped down.
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Today, in a statement, the Labour leader said he will step down as Labour leader if he is found guilty by Durham Police and handed a Fixed Penalty Notice. He said he remains confident he did not break any rules and will be cleared.
He said: "People were entitled to expect that politicians would follow the same rules as everyone else.
"We all found the rules frustrating at times and I'm no exception to that. I had to isolate six times during covid, separating me from the things I love, but I did it, because I followed the rules. The idea that I would then casually break those rules is wrong and frankly I don't believe those accusing me of it believe it themselves, they are just trying to feed cynicism to get the public to believe all politicians are the same.
"I believe in honour, integrity and the principle that those who make the laws must follow them and I believe that politicians who undermine that principle, undermine trust in politics, undermine our democracy and undermine Britain.
"I'm absolutely clear that no rules were broken, they were followed at all times, I simply had something to eat while working late in the evening as any politician would do, days before an election.
"But if the police decide to issue me with a fixed penalty notice, I would, of course, do the right thing and step down.
"This stuff matters, because the British public deserve politicians who think the rules apply to them. "This matters. It matters because the British public deserve politicians who think the rules apply to them. They deserve politicians who hold themselves to the highest standards, and they deserve politicians who put the country first rather than themselves. They will always get that from me."
Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner has said she would also stand down if she is fined for being at the same event. She said: ""I’ve always been clear that I was at the event in Durham working in my capacity as Deputy Leader and that no rules were broken. Eating during a long day’s work was not against the rules. We have a Prime Minister who has been found to have broken the rules, lied about it and then been fined. If I were issued with a fine, I would do the decent thing and step down."
The move will put political pressure back on Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Questions will be asked why neither felt it was right to stand down when found to be in breach of the covid rules that they set themselves.
