Tory Minister Urges UK Police to ‘Look Into’ 'Keir's Beers’ As ‘New Evidence’ Emerges

Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the UK Labour party, has already come under pressure over footage showing him drinking a beer with colleagues in April 2021 when strict COVID-19 restrictions were in place. However, last year he was cleared of breaching any rules by Durham Constabulary.

A UK Tory minister has urged Durham Police to reopen an investigation into Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer over what has been dubbed “beergate” or "Keir's Beers".

Referring to the event that took place on 30 April, when indoor revelry was banned because of COVID-19 laws, International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan suggested that officers should "look at it again" with "all the new evidence" that has emerged, according to Sky News.

The Conservative MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed added:

“I’d like Durham constabulary to look at everything and to – if they felt a fixed penalty notice was the appropriate statement of conclusion of it, in the same way the Metropolitan Police have here for a number of people who were in Downing Street at events that had been deemed unsuitable – then what I would want to see is that same fixed penalty notice.”

The minister added that Starmer should not have to step down as leader of the Labour Party, even if he were to be fined by the police, adding:

"I don't think that is a resigning matter, personally."

On Monday, Sir Keir Starmer slammed Conservative MPs of "mudslinging" over the re-surfaced footage of him drinking a beer with others in the office of City of Durham MP Mary Foy when England was in Step 2 rules that banned different households from gathering indoors.

The footage, originally published in Spring 2021, had been captured through the window of a building in Durham in the run up to the Hartlepool by-election. It has since been revealed that Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner was also at the event.

Happy one year anniversary of Beer Starmer-gate pic.twitter.com/hpnibYwHOB

— Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) April 30, 2022

After reviewing the aforementioned footage, Durham Constabulary confirmed in February 2022 that it did not believe an offence had been committed.

However, with the “partygate” row gaining fresh traction since PM Boris Johnson, together with his wife Carrie and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak, were fined by the Metropolitan Police, Starmer has faced fresh calls to back up his claims that no coronavirus rules were broken by him.

Starmer has repeatedly stressed he was working on the night in question.

During a campaign visit to Worthing ahead of the local elections which will take place on 5 May, the Labour leader was grilled about the event. In response, Starmer said:

“We were working, it was days before the election. We paused for something to eat, there was no party, no rules were broken - there's nothing I can add to that.”

Weighing in on an earlier report in the Daily Mail that a delivery driver for an Indian restaurant had dropped off “quite a big order” at the hall of “about four bags” of curry, rice and naan bread, estimating that there were “probably about 30 or so” gathered, Starmer reiterated:

“There was no party, no breach of the rules.”

The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson received a Fixed Penalty Notice over a surprise birthday party for him in the Cabinet Room in June 2020 that was ruled to have breached COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. More penalties are expected to be issued next month.

'Are you honest Prime Minister?' - @susannareid100

Watch GMB on ITV and ITV Hub now as Susanna interviews Prime Minister Boris Johnson 👉 https://t.co/6iQ6ebeOEQ pic.twitter.com/GyYTdGSn8v

— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) May 3, 2022

When asked if he might receive any further fines over the Downing Street “partygate” scandal, Johnson told the host of ITV's Good Morning Britain programme that he had “no idea.”

“I’m getting on with the job that I was elected to do and discharge the mandate that I was given, and I’m proud of what we have been doing,” Johnson added.