A former Labour MP has insisted Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will resign if found guilty of breaking Covid rules, amid fresh allegations about a meeting with a voice coach during lockdown restrictions.
Speaking to GB News, Stephen Pound defended the Prime Minister’s character, stating: “Look, Keir Starmer said without any equivocation that if the police found him guilty and he received an official caution he would resign.
“I’d imagine he’d do the same thing now, because you cannot say he’s anything other than a man who obeys the law.”
He added: “As far as I’m concerned, from what I know of the man, if this is a real breach of the law, and if he is found guilty of it, then he would certainly consider his position.”
Stephen Pound defended the PM
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GB News contributor Will Kingston added: “I would suggest that the voice coach needs to get this off her CV pretty quickly because the communication from Starmer is still woeful.”
Pound said: “Apparently she does the first bit down the line. How can you do a voice coach by voicemail? It just seems bizarre.”
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The comments come as Starmer faces scrutiny over claims he met with a communications coach at Labour headquarters during strict Tier 4 restrictions in December 2020.
According to a new book, Starmer hired actress and communications skills coach Leonie Mellinger to improve his speeches during his time as opposition leader.
The book reveals Mellinger visited Labour headquarters wearing a mask on Christmas Eve 2020 to advise Starmer on his response to Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.
At the time, London was under stringent Tier 4 ‘Stay at Home’ restrictions following a surge in Covid infections linked to a new variant. The coach reportedly qualified for ‘key worker’ status during the pandemic.
, Starmer hired actress and communications skills coach Leonie Mellinger to improve his communications
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However, questions have been raised about whether this meeting complied with Covid regulations, as Government guidelines at the time required non-essential workers to work from home.
The Guido Fawkes website has suggested this may have constituted a breach of the Covid rules, as the Government’s list of essential workers would not have included a political vocal coach.
The Conservatives have demanded answers from the Prime Minister, with shadow paymaster general Richard Holden calling for an independent investigation.
In a letter to Starmer, Holden cited the Prime Minister’s previous insistence that he followed all Covid rules.
Keir Starmer was leader of the opposition at the time
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“This latest revelation proves this not to be the case and you have serious questions to answer,” Holden wrote.
The Conservative MP posed six specific questions to the Prime Minister, including whether he believes the meeting breached the law and if Labour received legal advice about making Ms Mellinger a key worker.
Holden also questioned whether it would be “right for other members of the public to get acting lessons during tier 4 restrictions.”
“There is a strong public interest into your conduct during the pandemic,” Holden’s letter stated, accusing Starmer of misleading the public and showing “casual disregard for the law” while others made sacrifices.
A spokesperson for the Labour Party told the Express: “The rules were followed”.