English police said on Friday they would not fine the two top leaders of Britain’s opposition Labour Party for a meal of curry and beer with colleagues last year when Britain was under coronavirus restrictions.
Local durham city police said that following an investigation, they “will not consider any ongoing sanctions related to the collection and no further action will be taken. “
Labour leader Keir Starmer and Deputy Leader Angela Rayner have said they will resign if fined for the incident, dubbed “beergate” by the media.
Starmer said he and his colleagues took a curry to go and a beer from a lawmaker’s workplace in northeast England in April 2021’s crusade for a special election. Regulations in force at the time prohibited internal social mixing between households. . Starmer said the regulations were not damaged because it was part of a workday.
Police investigators agreed. Durham’s force said it had considered “a great deal of documentary evidence and witnesses” and concluded “that there is no need to answer for a violation of the rules, due to the application of an exception, namely compulsory work”.
The force said none of the other 17 people provided would be fined.
Starmer has opposed his promise to resign if fined, as is customary for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who refused to resign after police fined him 50 pounds ($61) for attending a party at his home in 2020 that violated lockdown rules.
“People told me he was threatening me saying I would resign if I was fined,” Starmer told reporters at a news conference. “But there was never any doubt about it. For me, it’s a matter of principle. It is not debatable to say that those who make the law cannot break the law.
Johnson announced his resignation on Thursday after scandals across the party and government led his Conservative Party to revolt.
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