A spokesman added: “There is no way to answer for a breach of the regulations, due to the application of an exception, ie reasonably necessary work.” Police said the rally at the Miners’ Hall in Durham on April 30, 2020, which was linked to part of Labour’s campaign for the Hartlepool by-elections and local elections, had been fully investigated. Evidence and witness statements identified 17 people involved, including the Labor leader and deputy leader. “Durham Police will not issue any pre-determined penalty in relation to the gathering and no further action will be taken,” a statement said. “The investigation was thorough, detailed and proportionate.” Sir Keir, the former director of public prosecutions, had vowed to resign if found to have broken Covid laws – after urging Boris Johnson to quit after being fined for an illegal gathering in Downing Street. In a statement posted on Twitter, the Labor leader said: “I always said no rules were broken when I was in Durham. “The police have completed their investigation and agreed: there is no way to answer. “For me, this has always been a matter of principle. Honesty and integrity matter. You’ll always get it from me.” Ms Rayner tweeted: “Integrity matters in politics. The contrast to the behavior of this disgraced prime minister could not be clearer.” Durham Constabulary previously investigated Dominic Cummings, then the prime minister’s chief adviser, for moving his family from London to the North East while he was infected with coronavirus during the first national lockdown. Officers concluded that he may have committed a “minor breach” of the law by driving to Barnard Castle, but that to issue a fine months later “would be tantamount to treating Mr Cummings differently from other members of the public”. The force initially decided not to take any action over images of Sir Keir drinking a beer inside Labor MP Mary Foy’s constituency office, which resurfaced and were widely shared by the Conservatives during the Partygate scandal. Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer and deputy leader Angela Rayner (Danny Lawson/PA) (PA Wire) Ms Foy, Durham City MP, said she was “delighted” by Durham Police’s findings and spoke of the “pressure of the last few months”. “It is unfortunate that some Tory politicians’ desire to score political points has taken so much of Durham Police’s time to focus on a matter that has already been investigated, especially when their resources are already under significant strain,” he added. “I am extremely grateful for the understanding my staff and their families have shown in the face of significant right-wing media intrusion, including the children and their parents on the doorstep.” At the time, the “step two” Covid laws were in place, making it illegal for indoor gatherings of more than two people unless subject to one of numerous exceptions, which included “reasonably necessary for work purposes ». The same exemption applied to several gatherings investigated as part of Partygate, where 126 fines were issued for Covid breaches on eight different dates by the Metropolitan Police. It is believed to have been used by the prime minister as a defense for his participation in several rallies for which he was not fined.
