UK opposition leader pledges to step down if fined for breaking COVID rules

Labour leader Keir Starmer, who previously called for Premier Boris Johnson to step down over flouting COVID-19 measures, insists that he broke no rules

By Karim El-Bar

LONDON (AA) – Keir Starmer, the leader of Britain’s main opposition Labour Party, pledged on Monday to resign if he is fined for breaking COVID-19 rules.

Starmer previously called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign after receiving a fine for breaking rules from the pandemic, which hit Europe in early 2020.

Police are investigating Starmer over an April 2021 event in Durham where he was filmed drinking and eating at Takeaway curry. Pandemic rules at the time banned household mixing indoors, with the exception of working.

The event has been dubbed “beergate” by local media.

Starmer said his critics were trying to “feed cynicism” that all politicians were the same, and insisted that he was “absolutely clear that no laws were broken.”

"If police decide to issue me with a fixed penalty notice, I would of course do the right thing and step down,” Starmer said.

His deputy Angela Rayner also attended the event, and also insisted she broke no rules and would step down too if fined by the police.

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