Diane Abbott said Keir Starmer should “reconsider his position” if he is fined by police for violating blocking rules by drinking beer and eating home with staff during last year’s election campaign.
The abbot, who served as shadow secretary general during Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, told LBC: “I don’t think he will do it – I think it’s a lot of noise from the Tory press. But if he had to receive a fixed notice of punishment, he would have to reconsider his position.
“I am a loyal supporter of Keir Starmer, I just insist on common sense that if he receives notice of a fixed penalty, he should consider his position.
Corbyn’s longtime loyalist, Abbott, who is an MP from Hackney North and Stoke Newington, has been largely thrown out of the backseat since Starmer became Labor leader in April 2020.
Starmer said Saturday he was convinced he had not broken any rules. “As I explained several times, I worked in the office, we stopped eating something,” he said. “There was no party, no violation of the rules, I am convinced of that.
Starmer’s allies also came out to defend him. Shadow Health and Welfare Secretary Wes Street told the BBC he would not be “entertained” by the prospect of Starmer resigning over the alleged breach of the blocking rules.
“I have absolute faith and confidence that Keir Starmer did the right thing all the way,” he said. “It simply came to our notice then. He is a person who practices what he preaches, and as I said, the police have looked at this before and have not found an opportunity to respond.
“We are confident that this time it will be so. I think the contrast between Keira Starmer and Boris Johnson will be even sharper, because I really think it’s ridiculous, in fact, after everything we’ve seen, Boris Johnson is still there and the Conservative MPs haven’t removed Boris Johnson.
Asked if Starmer would have resigned if he had broken the law, Shadow’s Secretary of Wales in the shadows Joe Stevens told Times Radio: investigated this complaint and we found that no rules were violated – I’m sure Cair will make a statement at this time. “
Starmer insisted there was no “party” and “no rules were broken” after footage surfaced of him drinking beer with colleagues in a Durham constituency in April 2021 while campaigning for the upcoming Hartlepool election.
At the time of the collection, blocking rules included a ban on indoor mixing between households.
Following Thursday’s local elections, Durham police said they would launch an investigation into whether the rules were violated in April 2021 after receiving “significant new information”.
This was a reversal of an earlier decision in the case, which found that no infringement had taken place.
Earlier this year, Starmer said Johnson “must do the right thing and resign” after metropolitan police began investigating alleged violations of the Downing Street blockade.
Add Comment