UK Police Will 'Take No Further Action' Against Labour's Starmer After Probe Into Drinking Photo

UK Labour Party leader Keir Starmer will not face police action over a photo showing him drinking a beer indoors with colleagues in the city of Durham in northeastern England during last year's COVID-19 lockdown.

A spokesperson for Durham Police said that they "have reviewed the case" and "do not believe an offence has been established in relation to the legislation and guidance in place at that time".

"We will, therefore, take no further action", the spokesperson added.

The statement comes a few weeks after Starmer argued in an interview with the BBC drawing parallels between his conduct and that of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is under fire over the "partygate" scandal, is irrelevant. Starmer has repeatedly called for the PM's ouster due to the row.

"I was in a constituency office just days before the election. We were very busy. We were working in the office. We stopped for something to eat and then we carried on working. No party, no breach of the rules, and absolutely no comparison with the prime minister", the Labour leader claimed referring to the aforementioned picture.

Footage of Starmer, showing him with a bottle of beer in one hand and talking to a woman believed to be Labour MP Mary Foy in her constituency office in Durham, reportedly dates back to 30 April 2021. At least five other people appear to be inside the room in the picture, taken several days before the Hartlepool by-election and first published by the Daily Mail in the spring of 2021.

Twitter screenshot

The picture was taken as England was in step two of the coronavirus lockdown, with indoor mixing between different households not allowed except for work.

Starmer's BBC interview was followed by Tory MPs accusing the Labour leader of hypocrisy, with David Morris, Conservative lawmaker for Morecambe and Lunesdale, telling the Commons that there was "no difference" between Johnson's and Starmer's conduct.

Morris was echoed by Alexander Stafford, Tory MP for Rother Valley, who insisted that there should be no "hypocrisy" and that all sides should be probed.

"I know that I myself, colleagues, and constituents were shocked by the alleged lockdown rule breaking by none other than the leader of the opposition. Does the minister agree that there can be no hypocrisy and that all sides need to be investigated? After all, those in glass houses should not throw beer bottles", Stafford said.