Labour believes it can show Sir Keir Starmer did not break lockdown rules after the party leader vowed he would resign if he is fined by police
In a dramatic statement on Monday, Sir Keir said he would do the "right thing" if he was issued with a fixed penalty notice in relation to a gathering in Labour offices in Durham in April last year.
The party has compiled time-stamped logs from WhatsApp chats, documents and video edits, showing they carried on working after the takeaway was delivered - continuing to 1am, The Guardian reported. "People were left desperately lonely. They were separated from family and friends. Tragically, many were unable to see dying loved ones.
"We all found following those rules frustrating at times, I’m no exception to that. I had to isolate six times during Covid, pulling me away from my work and the things I love. But I did it, because we followed the rules.Sir Keir has said he will do the "right thing" and step down if he is fined by police for breaking Covid regulation."The idea that I would then casually break those rules is wrong, and frankly I don’t believe those accusing me believe it themselves.
"But if the police decide to issue me with a fixed penalty notice I would, of course, do the right thing and step down. "Anyone standing back and looking at this with an open mind can see that attempts have been made to put pressure on Durham Police," she told LBC. It comes as Labour faced backlash after they confirmed they had began to organise a Christmas party for around 40 members of staff in December 2020, whilst London was under Tier 2 restrictions and the rule of six applied.
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