Updated: Boris resigns as party leader

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Nothing do to do with it being a left or right site - it's the direct personal link of the reporter to their political rival.

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

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.

Originally Posted by Damien

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.

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.

Originally Posted by Mick

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.

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.

Originally Posted by Damien

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.

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.

Originally Posted by Mick

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.

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.

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Damien

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

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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Originally Posted by Damien

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

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.

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.

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.

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

[1andrew1]

Originally Posted by Damien

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

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

[GrimUpNorth]

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

[papa smurf]

Originally Posted by Damien

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.[COLOR="Silver"]

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

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

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.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Damien

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

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

Originally Posted by Mick

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.

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?

Originally Posted by Damien

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'.
.

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