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Original poster

To be wondering why we're not hearing more from Labour on this?

118 replies

theduchessstill · 27/05/2020 12:34

I have been so impressed with Keir Starmer since he took over but I'm bemused as to why we're not hearing more from him on Cummings situation.

Views I've seen are that he's giving the Tories the space to hang themselves, which I hope is true; that he's a red Tory, which is obviously bollocks, or that he's rubbish, which I hope isn't true and is against my instinct. What do people here think?

Yanbu - he's got a plan
Yabu - he's wasting this opportunity

OP posts:
Clavinova · 27/05/2020 14:17

South Wales police took a dim view at the time -

www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/stephen-kinnock-neil-south-wales-police-labour-mp-twitter-a4401186.html

BlackberryCane · 27/05/2020 14:20

Yet didn't actually do anything other than give an opinion, which was all they could do what with it not having broken the lockdown rules. So again, given that you highlighted my sentence about him not having broken the rules, which rule did he break?

Clavinova · 27/05/2020 14:23

Equally though - Durham police didn't take any action against Dominic Cummings back in March/April.

ArbitraryNameChange · 27/05/2020 14:25

Just wait for next Wednesday at midday....

I shall be having an early lunch that day in front of the telly

BlackberryCane · 27/05/2020 14:26

They're investigating the Barnard Castle trip now I think. The initial journey to Durham probably didn't break the rules, they're so widely drafted, and if he contested that leg I can't see it being proven to the criminal standard.

But you still haven't told us which rule Stephen Kinnock broke.

babysnowman · 27/05/2020 14:26

@GuyFawkesDay I came on to say that. There's nothing he needs to do...BoJo and DC are hanging themselves out to dry.

Clavinova · 27/05/2020 14:33

But you still haven't told us which rule Stephen Kinnock broke.

Arguably he broke the non-essential travel rule if he knew that his sister was visiting their parents the same day - particularly if she lived closer to their parents than he did.

"Officers will have the power to enforce rules on staying at home and avoiding non-essential travel."

"Those who ignore restrictions on movement could be fined £60, with the fine doubling after each offence, the Home Office warned."

The police would be obliged to investigate what essential items he delivered to his parents and ask for receipts.

stopcock · 27/05/2020 14:35

Was Stephen Kinnock, or anyone that travelled with him displaying symptoms of the virus?

Did he apologise after being outed to the press?

Clavinova · 27/05/2020 14:39

Was Stephen Kinnock, or anyone that travelled with him displaying symptoms of the virus?

How would we know that he didn't?

Did he apologise after being outed to the press?

I haven't found any evidence that he apologised - he sent a curt reply on twitter to South Wales Police.

CoachBombay · 27/05/2020 14:40

Because people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.....

I imagine a few Labour MP's have "broken the spirit of lockdown", so why draw attention to your own house when next door is burning down without any need for you to throw petrol on it.

I'm not a Tory or Labour supporter, I can see his logic on this one. All you need is to put your head above the trench for it then to be shot off because some back bencher has visited their gran or something.

100% compliance to the lockdown hasn't happened. Many MP's will have done something that could cause a issue. If he was to call for him to be sacked, and then later found out one of his own had done the same or similar he would have to sack them. Why not just avoid the subject till he absolutely needs to.

LellyMcKelly · 27/05/2020 14:41

I don’t think he needs to say anything. Why would he get involved with it? I daresay he’s enjoying every second of this - watching us realise that our prime minister is so weak he has to get Cabinet members to defend a civil servant they absolutely know broke the law and then attempted to gaslight the public. It’s humiliating. The conservatives are doing far more damage to themselves than he ever could. The last thing he wants to do is say something and have them unite to turn on him. Better to watch the party implode on its own.

AnyFucker · 27/05/2020 14:42

Because he knows that some of his own colleagues have also played fast and loose with the guidelines

He isn't stupid unlike Boris

AnyFucker · 27/05/2020 14:43

And yes.....give 'em enough rope, and they will hang themselves

Why dirty his own hands ?

BlackberryCane · 27/05/2020 14:44

There's nothing whatsoever in the rules about essential travel to assist the vulnerable not being legal if there's someone closer who can also do it, so no clavinova, them having had another visit the same day doesn't mean anything at all. The police would have no legal basis to take the distance relative to the sister into consideration.

The police also wouldn't be obliged to take any view on essential items at all, because the statute said basic necessities including food and medical supplies. It doesn't restrict those items. They could be non-essential and still not illegal.

FudgeBrownie2019 · 27/05/2020 14:45

My dad used to tell me that when someone was rambling and getting themselves into trouble never to interrupt them; that if you leave a long enough silence a fool will tell you everything.

I honestly believe that Labour don't need to do anything here - the Tory party are orchestrating their own mess, they are making themselves more ridiculous with each day that goes by (Sunak's Nando's tweet today shows an absolute crass reading of the room on the Tory side) and they look disorganised, ill-equipped and dishonest.

I think Starmer is a smart enough man to know if you sit silently for long enough, the fools will make themselves look foolish.

Clavinova · 27/05/2020 14:48

basic necessities including food and medical supplies

You are assuming that he took more than a birthday card and a present.

WendyHoused · 27/05/2020 14:50

As PP have said, it’s the Bonaparte strategy.

Why would he say anything when the Tories are destroying themselves quite nicely without his intervention.

stopcock · 27/05/2020 14:50

You are assuming that he took more than a birthday card and a present

How would we know he didn't?

safariboot · 27/05/2020 14:50

Stephen Kinnock is a backbench MP. Dominic Cummings has an extremely senior role in the government that imposed the restrictions that he himself ignored. They're not at all comparable.

Mumratheevergiving · 27/05/2020 14:51

Let’s hope the inquiry won’t be needed as the Cabinet realise this charade cannot continue and break it to Boris that he’s going to have to let go off DC’s hand. The Conservatives are imploding already. I don’t think Starmer will be forgetting to mention any of this when the time is right. He probably can’t quite believe what he’s seeing like the rest of us!

Clavinova · 27/05/2020 14:51

How would we know he didn't?

Indeed - which why the police would have to ask him.

Clavinova · 27/05/2020 14:54

Stephen Kinnock is a backbench MP.

He is a Shadow Cabinet Minister.

BlackberryCane · 27/05/2020 14:57

Clavinova still hasn't told us which rule Stephen Kinnock's account would've broken. Having had several posts to do it, and taken the time to type some things that are just plain incorrect.

Honestly, it's not an intrinsically pro-Kinnock argument to say his actions were legal either. You can disagree with what he did without making daft posts inventing things in the legislation that aren't there. Equally, I think Cummings is a wart on humanity's collective arsehole, but that doesn't mean the initial Durham trip was illegal. Based on his account I reckon it probably wasn't.

Clavinova · 27/05/2020 14:58

Just to point out that I actually like Stephen Kinnock - I wouldn't want him sacked either!

Clavinova · 27/05/2020 15:02

Clavinova still hasn't told us which rule Stephen Kinnock's account would've broken

Yes I have - non-essential travel if he just rocked up to sing 'Happy Birthday' - but without an investigation we will never know.

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