A SENIOR law lecturer at Durham University has said the media storm surrounding the so-called ‘beergate’ scandal is ‘artificial and contrived’.
Professor Thom Brooks said the ‘full fire of the Conservative Party’ was aimed at getting Durham Constabulary to reinvestigate the Labour Party leader when it became clear Downing Street had become ‘the most penalised address in Britain’ for breaching lockdown rules.
It is understood the footage Redhills last April was filmed by Ivo Delingpole, a third-year English literature student at the time.
Professor Brooks, the Durham University’s Dean and Professor of Law and Government at Durham Law School, he would not comment on the involvement of a former student.
However, he did say he found the recent 'media storm' whipped up by right-wing newspapers including the Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and The Sun ‘artificial and contrived’.
Prof Brooks said: “The event was already investigated and allegations dismissed.
“Starmer never denied being there, the meal was allowed under the rules and there was an election campaign underway.
“Nothing new materially has come up, only lots of pressure from Conservative MPs to help deflect attention from losing far more local election seats than anybody had predicted.”
Police investigating the ‘Partygate’ allegations at Downing Street issued 126 fixed penalty notices to 83 individuals for offences committed under COVID-19 regulations, including one each to Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie Johnson, and Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Prof Brooks, who is a member of the Fabian Society executive, a Labour affiliated think tank, and a Labour Party member, said: “Nowhere else broke these laws more often.
"This should stun us. It's revealing that the full fire power of the Conservative Party machine aimed its sights at getting Durham police to reinvestigate a campaign team curry that Keir Starmer had during an election campaign under different lockdown rules.
“While he never denied where he was or what he was doing, the spin was ferocious that there was somehow something to answer for even though the police had already dismissed any allegations.
“But the case has been reopened and this occasion has been seized as a moment to try to make it look like having a meal at work campaigning for which Starmer was cleared is no different from having so many lockdown breaches in Downing Street that it's the most fined address in the country, in a cynical race to the political gutter where all politicians are the same lacking integrity and respect for our rule of law.”
Earlier this year, Tory MP for North-West Durham Richard Holden urged Durham Constabulary to reopen the investigation into Sir Keir, despite the force previously saying there was no wrong-doing.
The force has confirmed a new inquiry is being carried out after ‘new information’ came to light and the Labour leader has said he will resign if he is given a fixed penalty notice.
Referring to Prof Brooks’ comments, Mr Holden said: “The views of any Labour activist on a matter already under police investigation should be treated with an entire trailer load of salt.
“While the police investigation is ongoing it would be wholly inappropriate to comment further.”
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