[ad_1]
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has pulled out of a keynote speech he is due to give today – as pressure mounts on him over so-called ‘beergate’ claims.
After being a hugely vocal critic of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the ‘partygate’ Downing Street gatherings during COVID lockdown, Sir Keir is now facing allegations that he too had a beer in a room with colleagues.
Sir Keir has said he was working and stopped to eat when he was filmed having a drink in Durham in April last year – at a time when rules banned household mixing indoors, apart from working.
Durham Police are now investigating the event after a leaked memo obtained by the Mail of Sunday revealed it was in fact pre-planned, in contrast to Labour’s earlier claims it was decided on the night as “nowhere served food”.
And now, the Institute for Government think tank has confirmed Sir Keir has pulled out of its event to discuss the “challenges the country faces”.
The announcement that an event which features a speech by Labour Leader Keir Starmer has been cancelled. Pic: Institute for Government website
Labour did not offer an explanation as to why its party’s leader was no longer attending the gathering, which was timed to precede Tuesday’s Queen’s Speech.
But Monday’s Daily Mail claims Sir Keir is “running scared”.
Education minister Michelle Donelan told Sky News’ Kay Burley on Monday that, if Sir Keir is fined, it was a decision for him over whether he should step down.
But she added: “What my constituents are saying is that this whole thing smacks of sheer hypocrisy given the relentless focus he has placed… He has got to search his soul after making this a top priority for the last few months at the expense of key issues like the rising cost of living etc…”
However, Labour’s Lisa Nandy told Sky News the…
[ad_2]
Source : skynews
