Starmer thrown out of Bath pub in lockdown row

The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, has been thrown out of a pub in Bath after he was confronted by the landlord over lockdown restrictions.

Rod Humphris, who co-runs The Raven pub, said he was unhappy with Labour's response to government lockdown measures.

He said the economy had been sacrificed "because old people are dying".

Sir Keir, who was on a walkabout in the city, said he "profoundly" disagreed.

The Labour leader was on a campaign visit to Bath ahead of the May elections.

Mr Humphris, who initially challenged Sir Keir in the street, said he had been a Labour voter all his life but the party had "failed him".

He said the Labour leader had allowed "children to wear masks in school when there's never been any evidence for it".

When Sir Keir stepped inside The Raven for a visit that had been pre-arranged with one of the owners, Mr Humphris told him to "get out of my pub".

The co-owner, Tim Perry, has since apologised to Labour.

The pub has tweeted that there was "no intention to hijack Keir Starmer's visit to Bath" and that Mr Humphris' views "are his own".

On why he asked Sir Keir to leave, Mr Humphris later said: "I had heard that the Labour Party were coming round and he turned up and I told him what I thought of him, basically.

"I think he has utterly failed us as the leader of the opposition. He has completely failed to ask the questions that needed asking, like, why did we throw away our previous pandemic preparedness?

"Why have we just accepted lockdown? Why have we just accepted the loss of all our freedoms?"

The 54-year-old, who said he does not agree with coronavirus lockdowns, said the Labour leader had walked in to his pub without asking.

Speaking afterwards, Sir Keir said he "profoundly" disagreed with Mr Humphris' view.

He said people on the frontline were risking their lives dealing with the pandemic and "the vast majority recognise the lockdown is necessary and the restrictions are necessary".

Labour's press office tweeted that it would "not be amplifying" the footage of the party leader being confronted.

The tweets said: "A clip circulating online shows Keir Starmer being confronted by someone spreading dangerous misinformation about the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Keir argued that our NHS staff have been working tirelessly to protect public health and that restrictions - while painful - have been absolutely necessary to save lives."