‘I don’t need lectures from you’, Keir Starmer tells anti-lockdown landlord sharing misinformation
Pub owner tells Labour leader he has ‘failed to be the opposition’ on Covid-19
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer was thrown out of a pub in Bath by an anti-lockdown landlord who appeared to blame the opposition politician for the UK’s Covid response, while on a visit to the city.
Rod Humphris, 54, the landlord of The Raven, shouted that Sir Keir was “not allowed in my pub” and told the MP to leave the premises in a tense confrontation.
He went on to add: “Get out of my pub, go on get out of my pub!” until the Labour leader was ushered from the venue.
The irate landlord went on to accuse Sir Keir of having failed him as leader of the opposition, to the apparent entertainment of onlookers who were drinking outside The Raven.
Mr Humphris produced a graph of deaths which he claimed to have taken from the British Medical Journal as well as citing various claims about Covid-19, which the Labour press office described as “dangerous misinformation”.
“A clip circulating online shows Keir Starmer being confronted by someone spreading dangerous misinformation about the Covid-19 pandemic. We will not be amplifying it,” the party tweeted on Monday.
The altercation continued, with the landlord telling Sir Keir that he had “failed to be the opposition,” adding that he felt the Labour leader had “failed this country” in its response to the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sir Keir responded to the landlord by saying: “I really don’t need lectures from you about this pandemic.”
In a later tweet, the leader of the opposition jokingly offered a “statement on being confronted in a pub today”, with a link that led to official voter registration page for next month’s local elections.
Mr Humphris told the PA news agency that he wanted to give Sir Keir a “piece of my mind”, adding: “I would say this to any politician, it’s not a partisan matter.”
The incident was captured on video and has been shared widely on Twitter, where it has drawn comparisons with Eastenders’ famous publican Barbara Windsor.
Sir Keir was visiting Bath on Monday to support the west of England metro mayoral candidate Dan Norris.
He was also marking Labour’s launch of an independent Commission to rebuild Britain’s high streets, prompting him to make the visit to the pub.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments