Sir Keir Starmer will not be confronted with police action because of claims of a violation of the COVID rule when he met his voting coach during Lockdown restrictions, Scotland Yard said today.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that they had received a report on the visit by Leonie Mellinger, an actress and communication guru, to employment offices on December 24, 2020.
But the London Force – who imposed fines on the Partygate scandal – said, because the incident in the capital was more than three years ago, they would not start any procedures.
It came after Downing Street stated that the meeting of Sir Keir had to be personal on Christmas Eve with Mrs. Mellinger and did not represent a violation of the rules.
The prime minister has been left to questions after Mrs. Mellinger said a new book about Sir Keir that she used her status of the most important employee to visit Labor's head office at the peak of Covid restrictions.
At the time, Sir Keir was looking for his reaction to the Boris Johnson of the then PM Brexit deal when the negotiations with the EU were closed.
He gave a virtual press conference on 24 December to confirm that Labor would support the trade agreement with Brussels.
Sir Keir has been left behind accusations of a violation of Covid rules by meeting his voting coach on a day on which London was under heavy 'Tier 4' restrictions.
There were also questions about why Mrs. Mellinger had to visit the Labor leader personally, after she appeared, she had previously advised him via a video call.
But Sir Keir's press secretary said this afternoon that the prime minister believed that it was not reasonably possible for them to do the work she was doing from home.
The press secretary revealed that Mrs. Mellinger was 'nuclear part of a small team' that Sir Keir helped in the day, which now also included Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Downing Street insisted that the meeting of Sir Keir Starmer with his voting coach had to be at the height of Covid restrictions, because they denied a violation of the rules
The prime minister was left with questions after it was revealed that Leonie Mellinger, an actress and coach of communication skills, visited Labour on December 24, 2020
At 6 pm on Christmas Eve, Mrs. Mellinger shared a photo of himself who traveled home on a otherwise abandoned train car
At the time of Mrs. Mellinger's visit to Sir Keir, Christmas was effectively canceled for millions of Britons after they were told that they would no longer be able to mix with other households.
Employees were also told that 'everyone should work from home unless they cannot do this'.
There are also questions about whether Mrs. Mellinger has traveled from a 'Tier 3' area to a 'Tier 4' area to meet Sir Keir, when traveling to 'Tier 4' areas were forbidden.
At 6 pm on Christmas Eve, she shared a photo of herself that traveled home on a different train wagon. Three days later she uploaded an image of Brighton Beach.
But a police spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we have received a report.
'The specific legislation that would be used by police services related to alleged violations during COVID has a three -year deadline for initiating a procedure.
“Because this alleged incident falls outside this time frame, no action will be taken.”
Sir Keir previously defended his voting coach at the end of 2020 when he was grilled today with the Prime Minister's questions.
Gagan Mohindra, Tory MP for South West Hertfordshire, asked the prime minister: 'Can he repeat his guarantees that all rules were followed while the country was in Tier 4 Lockdown in December 2020?
“Not only by him, but also to his team, but also by his voice coach Leonie Mellinger.”
The prime minister replied: 'In December 2020 I was working on the expected Brexit deal in my office.
'With my team we had to analyze the deal while it arrived at speed, a live statement on one of the most important issues for our country came and delivered in recent years.
That's what I did. What were they doing? Suitcases of drinks in Downing Street, parties and fighting, broke the walls and leave the cleaners to remove red wine stains.
“That's the difference; I worked, they were partying. '
After PMQs, Sir Keir's press secretary said that Mrs. Mellinger was a 'nuclear part of a small team' that helps him to prepare for statements and press conferences during the pandemic.
“The previous government has announced that it had agreed a Brexit deal with the EU on Christmas Eve,” said the Premier reporters' press secretary.
'Keir Starmer had to respond as leader of the opposition – it was a hugely important moment for our country.
'That meant going through the published details of the agreement and giving a press conference on television on the same day.
“He had a small team of people who support him about it, which would not be a surprise to anyone.”
The accusations of the press secretary of the brand about Sir Keir's voting coach as 'just more desperate mud swing from the Tories'.
“The prime minister clearly explained that the rules were all followed and he explained the context of that day,” she added.
It is understood that Mrs. Mellinger mainly worked with Sir Keir and was paid for her role.
No10 said that Mrs. Reeves Sir Keir also helped as part of the 'small team' on Christmas Eve in her then role as a shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, in which she was responsible for the policy of Labor on Brexit.
The conservatives demanded a police investigation into whether laws were violated by Sir Keir's voting coach.
A spokesperson for Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: 'The most important question here is: is a voting coach an important employee who can travel from Tier 4 to Tier 3 during Lockdown?
'It doesn't matter if you are part of a core team, that is the question. Now Keir Starmer said that legislators cannot be legal breakers.
“It is almost unimaginable not to agree that that was a clear violation of the COVID rules.”
Asked if Mrs Badenoch thought the police should investigate, he said, “Yes, she does.”
The spokesperson added that he accused Mrs. Mellinger of the violation of the law, rather than Sir Keir, but claimed that the remark about legislators are not law overbreakers who were applied to the PM 'by Proxy'.
