- Keir Starmer may vow to resign if he is fined for breaching COVID rules over 'beergate'.
- The Labour leader has pulled out of several events he was due to attend today, ahead of an expected statement.
- Starmer has come under intense pressure after Durham Police opened an investigation into the event.
Keir Starmer may vow to resign if he is fined for breaching lockdown rules, as the Labour leader looks to regain his footing amid a brewing row over so-called "beergate."
Starmer has pulled out of a series of events he was scheduled to attend on Monday, including an address ahead of the Queen's Speech later this week and a memorial service for the late minister James Brokenshire.
Labour sources confirmed that Starmer was planning to make a statement on his future at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, as first reported in The Times.
The Labour team has been war-gaming the best next steps, which includes pledging to resign if he is fined.
While a gamble, such an approach would put him at odds with Boris Johnson, who has refused to resign repeatedly, even after he received a fine, despite a backlash from his own party.
Durham Police announced Friday that it had opened an investigation into an event at which Starmer attended in 2021.
The Labour leader joined his team for a curry and drank beer in an office in May 2021 during the campaign for the Hartlepool by-election.
Labour has said Starmer was working, and have insisted that no rules were broken, with shadow minister Lisa Nandy calling her boss "Mr Rules".
But Conservatives have accused him of hypocrisy after Starmer said Johnson and Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, should resign for their involvement in partygate.