Re: Partygate & Beergate discussion
 

I don’t care who he is. I believe his inside source.

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BREAKING: Keir Starmer considers pledging to resign if fined over ‘beergate’
Colleagues urge Labour leader ‘regain moral high ground’ over Boris Johnson. - The Times. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/k...gate-j7flbzv2n

Re: Partygate & Beergate discussion
 

I think he should. Otherwise he won’t have an answer to the millions of questions he’ll get on this. Saying he is awaiting the result of the investigation but will resign if found to have broken the rules is an effective answer.

Plus most Labour supporters will want him to go if he did break the rules.

Re: Partygate & Beergate discussion
 

But it’s a bit of a change of tact don’t you think, all last week and over the weekend, Starmer was a confident ‘not broken rules’ to the extreme position of potential resignation by Monday, he ducks out of Q&A session (essentially going in to hiding). Further credible revelations of the event being a total piss up event.

Re: Partygate & Beergate discussion
 

Not sure it's a massive change of tact. He'll still say he is confident he didn't break any rules. Just adding if he is found he did break the rules that he would resign.

We'll see if he announces it but it's the easiest way for him to have an answer to this question for the next few weeks.

Re: Partygate & Beergate discussion
 

I just don’t buy he’s feeling confident. A confident man doesn’t run from the press, which is exactly what he’s done by cancelling the Q&A event he planned for later today.

Re: Partygate & Beergate discussion
 

If he really does say he'll resign if found to have broken the law I don't think it's a sign of confidence so much as giving in to the reality of the situation. Everyone knows the chances of a fine are high but if he is fined it's better that he resigns anyway, so why not announce that now and avoid weeks of awkward questions?

This story isn't going to stop. The Daily Mail has had, I think, 12-13 days on which this has been their headline in the last 14-15 days. The investigation is reportedly going to take another month. Labour could just say 'we don't believe any rules have been broken, if they'll have Starmer will resign and so now let's await the results of the investigation'.

I say if because I have little faith that a politician would do the right thing.

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Starmer will make a statement at 4pm where he is rumoured to confirm he'll resign if issues a FPN.

Re: Partygate & Beergate discussion
 

It's the sensible thing to do. I genuinely think he will be cleared but no skin off my nose if he's not. But if he's not cleared, he will aim to bring down Johnson too.

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That's what false equivalence stories aim to make us think - they're all as bad as each other so I may as well vote for anyone.

Re: Partygate & Beergate discussion
 

I think it's more likely he'll get fined or not, at least 50/50, so we could be about to have another leadership election in the Labour Party as well.

Re: Partygate & Beergate discussion
 

I firmly believe he’ll be fined, he’s told that many versions of what’s gone on that it raises strong doubts it was a working session, given what we now know. Boris and No. 10 co got a fine for giving him a cake whilst they claimed they was at work. Organising a piss up and a curry, late on a Friday evening, isn’t working.

Re: Partygate & Beergate discussion
 

At least we won't have weeks of speculation on what will happen if he does.

Re: Partygate & Beergate discussion
 

It puts the ball firmly back in Johnson's court so we'll just have weeks of speculation about his position instead.

However, as we saw with Dominic Cummings, Durham police's previous approach was not to issue retrospective fines over lockdown breaches. So Starmer could just be ticked off but not fined so would have no reason to resign if he made his resignation dependent upon being fined. See 3.16pm here: https://www.theguardian.com/politics...-politics-live

Re: Partygate & Beergate discussion
 

I wonder if Kier will offer to stand aside until the police investigation findings are made public? Might be a good move.

Re: Partygate & Beergate discussion
 

will this have any sway on the outcome of the investigation as Durham has a labour police and crime commissioner.

Re: Partygate & Beergate discussion
 

It makes it a bigger decision for Durham police but then it always was going to be so. Same with when the Met had to decide if they would fine the Prime Minister.

I don't think the Commissioner gets involved in these decisions and it would be a scandal if they did.

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Starmer is giving his speech now.

Says no laws are broken. Was simply eating late. But if the police issue him with a FPN he'll resign.

Re: Partygate & Beergate discussion
 

Least your not naive like me for expecting them to do the right thing

I get confused, was the cake ambush the same one as when they went down the off licence with suitcases to replenish or was that a different one?

And yet they were telling us for weeks to move on, don't we know there's a war on :rofl: what a grubby rag