In an interview on Sky News’ Beth Rigby, the Labor leader spoke of the moment he found out police would be investigating a video of him drinking curry beer with colleagues at a Durham polling station when the rules were in place social distancing. still in place. Sir Keir, who was discharged from Durham Police last month, said he was always confident he had broken no rules but that it was a “big moment” when the decision was made to investigate him. Politics Hub: Sunak vs Truss could get ‘pretty nasty’ He said: “I really hated it, being subject to a criminal investigation when you were the director of public prosecutions. “I hated it, I’m not like other people in a lot of ways who will say it’s okay, it meant a lot to me, it was a burden I carried. I tried not to show it physically, but it was there every day.” Image: Sir Keir Starmer investigated for video of him drinking beer with colleagues when social distancing rules were in place The Labor leader also said he knew “in his gut” he would have to stand down if found guilty but delayed committing to it because he wanted to discuss the decision with his wife. “A lot of people criticized me for taking two or three days to make a decision,” he said. “I put my whole career on the line and I wasn’t going to until I sat down like I did that Sunday and talked to Vic, my wife.” Sir Keir insisted he made the decision as “a matter of principle that those who make the rules cannot break them” and “not to somehow show that I was a goody two-shoes” – as some of his critics have suggested. He said his wife “supported him” through the decision, later calling it “fantastic”. The Labor leader has opened up about his family life, saying his biggest concern is the impact his work could have on his two children, who he is determined to keep out of the public eye. Image: Sir Keir Starmer said his wife Victoria was ‘fantastic’ in her support for him He said his youngest has already said he will not move into Downing Street with him if he wins the next election. “We don’t want our family to be destroyed by all of this,” he said. “We didn’t have children as a kind of support in my political life.” “I don’t think I’m boring” On the prospect of winning the election, he said he never doubted Labor could win under his leadership, but said after two years, “hope has turned to belief”. He took issue with the suggestion he didn’t make it because people think he’s boring, telling Beth Rigby: “I don’t think I’m boring, I’m not going to pretend that politics is a brand of the entertainment business, running the country is a very serious matter and you need serious politicians to do it.” He was also told another voter concern is that people don’t know what he stands for – having championed a different vision for Labor under Jeremy Corbyn. But Sir Keir insisted that after the party’s disastrous performance at the last election, it needed to “think” about what went wrong and change. Read more on Sky News: Sunak supporter says Liberal dig at Truss ‘wasn’t the best moment of his campaign’ Liz Truss extends lead over Rishi Sunak among Tories When asked specifically what his position was on national rail strikes and whether Labor supported them, he insisted his position was clear – that he did not want them to go ahead. However, he admitted he did not think it was appropriate for a prime minister to walk the picket line. He said: “Of course a prime minister can’t picket, a prime minister has to run the country and get people around the table. “But that shouldn’t translate into a lack of understanding of how much people are struggling after 10 years of Tory failure on the economy.” You can watch the full interview tonight on Beth Rigby Interviews at 9pm. Beth will also meet reality star Vicky Pattison and chat with legendary DJ Judge Jules.
