18 favourite takeaways from Keir Starmer’s pledge to resign if he’s fined for having a curry break
The Daily Mail’s Beergate campaign for Sir Keir Starmer to be investigated for the food break he took while campaigning in April 2021 has made sure the spotlight stayed on the Labour leader, rather than the PM’s Partygate woes.
Daily Mail / Tories are pursuing #beergate so vigorously because they want to draw equivalence between two very different scenarios and make you think politicians ‘are all the same’ thereby neutralising attacks on Johnson #r4today
— Shane (@shane_glag) May 9, 2022
The Conservative media complex are genuinely going to try to make Keir Starmer buying his staff a curry as a reward for working late into a bigger deal than Boris turning Number 10 into a fucking frat house for 18 months.
Shame on every damn one of us if we let them.
— Mitch Benn 🇬🇧🇪🇺 (@MitchBenn) May 8, 2022
wait so Keir Starmer should resign for *saying* that Boris Johnson should resign for breaking lockdown laws but Boris Johnson shouldn't have to resign for breaking lockdown laws because he said he shouldn't have to resign for breaking lockdown laws what absolute fucking nonsense
— dave ❄️ 🥕 🧻 (@davemacladd) May 8, 2022
On Monday evening, Starmer did exactly what many of his critics had been calling for him to do – pledged to resign if he, like the PM, is given a Fixed Penalty Notice for breaking lockdown rules.
The British public deserve politicians who know the rules apply to them.
Who hold themselves to the highest standards.
Who put the country first.
Britain will always get that from me. pic.twitter.com/1l2nGnRwkX
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) May 9, 2022
His pledge was echoed by Deputy Leader Angela Rayner. Colleagues reacted to the statement.
“This is a matter of principle and honour.”
It’s impossible to imagine Boris Johnson saying a single word of this. https://t.co/CwNSjYjFbu
— Lisa Nandy (@lisanandy) May 9, 2022
.@Keir_Starmer has just shown more integrity, decency and principle in 5 minutes than @BorisJohnson has in his entire life.
— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) May 9, 2022
The abundance of integrity shown by @Keir_Starmer and @AngelaRayner is unparalleled.
Boris Johnson has been found to have broken the law, and is under investigation over many more incidents. Lying is in his DNA.
— Dr Rosena Allin-Khan (@DrRosena) May 9, 2022
Here’s what other people had to say about it..
1.
"I believe in honour and integrity and that politics should be a force for good and that we shouldn't all be dragged down by this cynical belief that 'all politicians are the same.'"
Starmer takes the gloves off. https://t.co/0yd8e28nJX
— Otto English (@Otto_English) May 9, 2022
2.
Durham Police right now pic.twitter.com/JOEeiSTsDG
— Jim Pickard (@PickardJE) May 9, 2022
3.
I don't imagine this is what CCHQ hoped to achieve tbh https://t.co/eBuCk4pZgK
— Nadine Batchelor-Hunt (@nadinebh_) May 9, 2022
4.
I’m worried that Durham Police will issue Starmer with a fixed penalty notice because it’s now quite clearly the funniest thing to do
— Frankie Boyle (@frankieboyle) May 9, 2022
5.
Durham Police just sat there with their heads in their hands like why do we have to do this can't we just have a nice murder
— joe (@mutablejoe) May 9, 2022
6.
Welcome to Britain, where the guy who didn't do anything wrong says he will resign while the guy who did fuck loads wrong and got shitfaced while people died suffers no consequences whatsoever.
— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) May 9, 2022
7.
The Sun this morning: Resign!
The Sun this afternoon: No not like that! pic.twitter.com/QXsBQRIGtn
— The Sun Apologies (@SunApology) May 9, 2022
8.
This whole thing is absurd but, *if* it leads to certain partisan hacks being indirectly responsible for forcing Tory MPs into action against Johnson, it will also be the funniest thing to ever happen in British politics.
— Sam Freedman (@Samfr) May 9, 2022
9.
If Durham Police fine Starmer, they then have to explain why they didn't fine Cummings for a much larger breach.
And then we're into "politically biased policing" territory, which is VERY dangerous for any country wishing to avoid accusations of fascism.
Interesting times.
— Russ Jones (@RussInCheshire) May 9, 2022