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Kate Plummer
Aug 05, 2022
‘I’ve always said no rules were broken’: Keir Starmer after being cleared ...
Indy
A time in which Keir Starmer was described as "Mr Rules" has resurfaced, following news he broke MP's code of conduct eight times.
An inquiry into the Labour leader found he failed to register eight separate interests on time, including gifts from football teams, the sale of a plot of land, and a five-figure book advance.
Starmer has apologised to the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone, who led the investigation, for what the party said was an “inadvertent error”. When the investigation opened in June, Starmer had said he was "absolutely confident" no rules were broken.
Stone noted that the “breaches were minor and/or inadvertent and that there was no deliberate attempt to mislead”.
However it is ironic, when you consider the time Labour shadow minister Lisa Nandy called him "Mr Rules" while defending him over allegations he broke lockdown rules by having a beer with colleagues. He was ultimately cleared after a police investigation into the matter.
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Before the findings, she said her boss “is Mr Rules, he does not break the rules” as she accused the Conservatives of an “absolutely desperate attempt to sling mud”.
“He is Mr Rules, he does not break the rules, he was the director of public prosecutions, not somebody who goes around tearing up rules when it suits him, in stark contrast to the Prime Minister."
Now, he is in a spot of bother for failing to register interests within 28 days, as dictated by the code which is published fortnightly.
Here's what people made of the irony:
\u201c\u201cRemember when they called Keir Starmer Mr Rules?\u201d\u201d— William Kedjanyi (@William Kedjanyi) 1659641585
\u201cMr Rules! He's all about those rules!\u201d— keewa (@keewa) 1659640978
\u201c*Clutches pearls*\n\n\u201cMr Rules!\u201d\u201d— M. Albert the Owlbear with a halberd (@M. Albert the Owlbear with a halberd) 1659677406
\u201csaying it again: my nick name is "Mr Rules" because i tell people to stick to the rules not because i love sticking to the rules\u201d— the uk press cover for serial groper nick cohen (@the uk press cover for serial groper nick cohen) 1659641110
\u201cMr. Rules\u201d— Red 'til I'm Dead (@Red 'til I'm Dead) 1659641572
\u201c\u201cHe is Mr Rules, he does not break the rules. He was the Director of Public Prosecutions," they said.\n\nhttps://t.co/6WnWpk8AvD\u201d— Alex Nunns (@Alex Nunns) 1659641594
A Labour Party spokesperson said: "Keir Starmer takes his responsibilities to the Register very seriously and has apologised to the Commissioner for this inadvertent error.
"He has assured the Commissioner that his office processes have been reviewed to ensure this doesn't happen again."
He is Mr Rules, after all...
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