Sir Keir Starmer has turned the tables on the PM with his promise to resign

Editorial: The Labour leader knows better than most that he would be unable to continue to do his job properly or command the respect of the public if he was found to have broken the law

The press conference showed a willingness to face up to his problems (PA)

Sir Keir Starmer doesn’t seem to be one of life’s gamblers, but he has now put his political career on the line. If Durham Police decide that he did break the rules sufficiently to warrant a fixed penalty notice, then he will quit as leader. He wants to prove, he says, that not all politicians are the same.

While Boris Johnson refused to say if he would resign if issued with a fine for breaking Covid rules, because he could be fairly sure that he did attend social gatherings, Sir Keir is confident that he did not break the rules, and that he won’t have to stand down.

However, he knows that Durham Police are in a difficult position (one possibly made more invidious by Sir Keir’s move), and they still might quite conceivably issue him with an FPN. The new Starmer motto should be: who dares wins.