Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said that he will resign if fined by police for breaching coronavirus lockdown restrictions. While Starmer insists that he did not breach the rules, he said he will “do the right thing and step down” if Durham police issue him with a fixed penalty notice.
The Conservatives accuse Starmer of “rank double standards” after he demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chancellor Rishi Sunak over the Partygate scandal. The pair were fined by the Metropolitan Police over lockdown rule breaches.
Angela Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, has also said that she’ll step down if she’s issued with a fine over the so-called ‘Beergate’ gathering. But what lockdown restrictions were in force when it took place?
READ MORE: GMB's Susanna Reid turns heat on Keir Starmer over Durham 'Beergate' row
What were the rules during Beergate and when was it?
The gathering that’s at the centre of the Beergate row took place in Durham on April 30, 2021. At the time, Keir Starmer and Labour Party canvassers were campaigning for the Hartlepool by-election, which they subsequently lost.
Labour insists that the gathering did not break lockdown rules. Its version of events is that Starmer and a group of party colleagues simply had a drink and shared a takeaway meal together at the office of Durham MP Mary Foy after a day on the campaign trail.
At the time, England was subject to Step 2 lockdown restrictions, which came into force on April 12th last year. Indoor socialising was barred, except with people living in the same household or forming part of a support bubble.
Outdoor socialising was permitted, but only in groups of up to six people from two separate households. Pubs and restaurants were allowed to open, providing outdoor service only.
However, indoor gatherings were allowed as long as they were for “work purposes”. This permitted colleagues to eat and drink together where this was “reasonably necessary for work”.
Initially, the disputed gathering barely featured in the discussion around Partygate, which concerned a string of events held at Downing Street during lockdown. But during the recent local election campaign, it was made into a major controversy by some newspapers.
Conservative-supporting papers and some MPs have claimed that the Durham gathering was in fact a social event rather than a work event. The Sun reported that as many as 30 people were there and claimed that the bill for the takeaway totalled £200.
Labour initially said that deputy leader Angela Rayner was not present at the gathering, although it later transpired that she had been in attendance. Keir Starmer has said that the mix-up over whether or not Rayner attended was a “genuine mistake”.
Subsequent reports in the Sunday Times and the Mail on Sunday indicated that around 15 people were at the gathering, rather than the 30 claimed by The Sun. Labour maintains that it was a work event and that all the relevant rules were adhered to.
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