Sir Keir Starmer is facing fresh scrutiny over allegations that he breached Covid-19 restrictions during the winter of 2020 by meeting a voice coach to prepare his response to Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal.
What are the allegations?
According to Get In, a book by Sunday Times journalists Patrick Maguire and Gabriel Pogrund, the Prime Minister enlisted the services of classically trained dramatist Leonie Mellinger to help refine his public speaking. The book claims that Ms Mellinger, who qualified for “key worker” status, visited Labour Party headquarters in December 2020 wearing a face mask to advise Sir Keir on his communication style.
At the time, London and the South East were under strict regional Covid restrictions, prompting accusations from Conservative MPs that the Labour leader may have flouted the rules.
Calls for an investigation
Tory former minister Richard Holden has written to Sir Keir demanding clarity on whether he believes the meeting breached the law.
Mr Holden, MP for Basildon and Billericay, also urged the Prime Minister to appoint an independent investigator to examine the claims.
He questioned whether the meeting with the voice coach was justified under tier 4 restrictions, asking:
“Do you think it would be right for other members of the public to get acting lessons during tier 4 restrictions?”
In a strongly worded statement, Mr Holden accused Sir Keir of misleading the public, stating:
“There is a strong public interest in your conduct during the pandemic, and it is clear from these revelations that not only have you misled the public, but you had a casual disregard for the law at a time when so many people were making such difficult sacrifices – all in the service of advancing your own political career.”
He concluded by calling on the Prime Minister to uphold the standards of “honesty and decency” that he has demanded from others.
Labour’s response
A Labour spokesperson swiftly dismissed the allegations, stating:
“The rules were followed at all times.”
This is not the first time questions have been raised about Sir Keir’s actions during the pandemic. Mr Holden previously pressed for answers over the Labour leader’s attendance at a meeting in Durham in April 2021, as part of the local election campaign.
That incident, dubbed Beergate, led to a police investigation, but officers ultimately found that neither Sir Keir nor his deputy, Angela Rayner, had breached Covid rules.
Further revelations from the book
Alongside the claims regarding the voice coach, Get In provides insight into internal tensions within Labour during Sir Keir’s leadership.
The book claims that Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney privately expressed concerns that the Prime Minister was “like an HR manager, not a leader.” While praising Sir Keir’s intelligence, Mr McSweeney reportedly worried that he might be “too timid.”
Another unnamed ally is said to have compared the Labour leader to a passenger on an automatically driven train, suggesting he was not fully in control of his political direction.
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Defence from senior labour figures
Despite these claims, senior Labour figures have rushed to defend Sir Keir’s leadership.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper dismissed the criticisms, telling the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg:
“I think what you see with Keir Starmer is a real determination to change the country. It’s why he set out the plan for change with clear action, clear things that he’s determined to change across the country.”
What happens next?
With Labour standing firm on its position that no rules were broken, it remains to be seen whether Sir Keir will respond further to the calls for an independent inquiry.
Meanwhile, the claims from Get In have provided fresh political ammunition for Conservative MPs seeking to challenge the Prime Minister’s credibility.
Leonie Mellinger has been contacted for comment but has yet to respond.
