Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, had previously promised to resign if he were found to have violated lockdown rules during a campaign event in Durham. However, it has now come to light that the former director of public prosecutions, known as « Mr Rules », had a run-in with the police in the past. A friend revealed that Starmer was caught by French officers selling ice-creams illegally on a beach in the south of France.
According to John Murray, a university friend of Starmer, the pair had traveled to the French Riviera as students after seeing an advertisement claiming they could make hundreds of pounds selling ice-creams. However, they quickly discovered that the practice was illegal and made very little money. While Murray was arrested, it seems that Starmer managed to escape with only having his ice-creams confiscated.
Murray shared this anecdote during an episode of Politico’s Westminster Insider podcast, saying, « We spent a month… as almost beach bums, selling ice-creams to tourists and making about four francs a day. The place was overrun with other beach sellers who had all been fooled into thinking they could earn hundreds of pounds a day. And then we found out it was actually not legal. So we spent our time avoiding being arrested. »
He continued, « To be honest, I did get arrested. But all that happened was our ice-creams were confiscated and we received a receipt before having to walk back to the beach without our flip-flops. »
When asked if Starmer had also been arrested, Murray replied, « I can’t say… I believe he probably had his ice-creams confiscated. It was a minor offense. »
A spokesperson for the Labour Party stated, « We want to clarify that no arrests were made, and no names were even taken. The only thing that was lost was some cheap ice-creams. »
Starmer has cultivated a political image as a strait-laced lawyer who adheres to the rules, in contrast to the more freewheeling former Prime Minister Boris Johnson. However, this anecdote from his student days offers a rare glimpse into a less formal side of the Labour leader. It also indicates that as the country approaches next year’s election, scrutiny of Starmer’s personal life and past is likely to intensify.
- Keir Starmer promised to resign if he broke lockdown rules in Durham.
- Starmer’s friend revealed that they were caught selling ice-creams illegally in France.
- Starmer managed to escape without being arrested, while his friend was arrested.
- No names were taken, and no arrests were made.
- The incident adds a more informal dimension to Starmer’s image.
- As the election approaches, scrutiny of Starmer’s personal life and past is expected to increase.
Grand fan de mangas et d’animes, je n’aime bien écrire qu’à propos de ses sujets, c’est pour ca que j’écris pour 5 minutes d’actus. Au quotidien de décortique, donne mes avis sur les différents épisodes et chapitres des mangas que j’aime lire.