KEIR STARMER SAID that his integrity “requires” him to resign if he is given a fixed-penalty notice for breaching Covid laws.

Starmer attended an event in a Labour party office Durham in April 2021 with colleagues when he was filmed having a drink and a takeaway curry was ordered.

At the time of the event, interacting indoors with people from other households was banned, unless it was in a work setting.

Durham Police announced yesterday that they had reopened an investigation to determine if Starmer and his colleagues had broken the law.

In a statement at 4pm, the UK Labour leader said that he followed Covid regulations at all times, and did not break the law during the eighty-minute dinner, as it was part of his work schedule.

Starmer added that his mother-in-law died during the pandemic and he and his wife were unable to provide her father with the support they wished.

“The idea that I would then casually break those rules is wrong, and frankly I don’t believe those accusing me believe it themselves,” he said.

“They are just trying to feed cynicism, so the public to believe all politicians are the same. But I am here to say they are not.”

Conservative party officials have accused Starmer of hypocrisy due to Labour’s strict criticism of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s social gatherings at 10 Downing Street during the pandemic -dubbed ‘Partygate’.

When Starmer was asked if he had been wrong to call for Johnson’s resignation he replied: “I’m setting out my position in relation to the events of the last few days.

“The Prime Minister has chosen not to resign, notwithstanding that, not only has he broken the law that he made, but 50 fines being imposed in relation to the workplace that he is responsible for.”

The Labour party’s deputy leader, Angela Raynor, was also in attendance at the party and announced that she too would resign if Durham Police fine her.

 “Eating during a long day’s work was not against the rules. We have a Prime Minister who has been found to have broken the rules, lied about it and then been fined,” she said.

“If I were issued with a fine, I would do the decent thing and step down.”