Embattled Sir Keir Starmer cancels speech at last minute as pressure mounts over curry bash
THE leftovers of Sir Keir Starmer’s curry bash defence were torn apart yesterday by bombshell leaked documents and the admissions of party insiders.
Yet the Labour leader once again snubbed questions about his hypocrisy for refusing to quit while demanding Boris Johnson resign over his Downing Street drinks.
Last night it was revealed Sir Keir had pulled out of a think tank event at the last minute to avoid facing another grilling. Labour refused give an explanation.
But Tory MP Richard Holden told The Sun: “It looks like Sir Keir Starmer is crying off work with a hypocrisy hangover.
“He can run but he can’t hide from his double standards.”
Meanwhile, after police finally said they would investigate, frustrated witnesses were preparing to open up about what really happened at the Durham Miners Hall dinner-and-drinks do.
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At the time, gatherings inside with people from other households were banned, except for work purposes. But the damning dossier revealed the event with activists and the local MP in April 2021 was planned in advance.
A memo leaked to the Mail on Sunday pencilled in nearly an hour and a half for the meal — and even suggested a curryhouse to provide the food.
It also refers to “AR”. Deputy leader Angela Rayner was later proven to have attended, despite party chiefs repeatedly denying she was. The itinerary said guests should head back to their hotel at 10pm. But witnesses have told The Sun that Sir Keir and others were there until 11pm.
Insiders also insisted no work was done after the dinner, despite Sir Keir saying that the meal was just a break.
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One told The Sunday Times: “It has been claimed that Starmer worked during the curry and then after the curry. None of those two things happened. He did not go back to work to the best of my knowledge.
“They were just there drinking. This made some people feel uncomfortable because they knew there was a risk we could be accused of breaking the rules.
“People were just there for a jolly. They just thought it was pretty cool to hang out with the leader and deputy leader of the Labour Party.”
Deputy PM Dominic Raab accused Sir Keir of “rank double standards” and urged him to come clean.
He said: “He needs to account for the discrepancies.”
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But Labour bigwig Lisa Nandy defended her lawyer boss, saying: “He is Mr Rules, he does not break the rules. It was not illegal to eat.”
A Labour Party spokesman last night insisted: “Keir was working, a takeaway was made available in the kitchen, and he ate between work demands. No rules were broken.”
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