We carry no brief for Sir Keir Starmer’s politics, but the work he has done to purge Britain’s Labor Party from the taint of antisemitism is too vital to be short circuited in the name of Covid politics. We mention that because the Labor leader is under fire for a contraband staff conference. Mr. Starmer has said that if he is fined by the police, he will resign. That, in our view, would be a tragedy. 

‘Beergate’ centers on a Labor gathering in the northern English town of Durham, where images captured Mr. Starmer enjoying beer and curry. Mr. Starmer has denied breaking the rules, pointing out that Britain’s covid regime allowed for a working repast. Politico reports that staffers on site “were p*ssed and obviously weren’t working.” There are debates when the takeaway was ordered, and who ate what when.       

Mr. Starmer, of course, has been at the forefront calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Johnson in the wake of the cluster of social events known as ‘Partygate.’ Mr. Johnson has admitted wrongdoing, offered a “wholehearted apology,” and been fined for his peccadilloes after an investigation by the Metropolitan Police. One aide has said that he was “ambushed by cake.” 

Beergate comes at an inconvenient moment for Mr. Starmer, as Labour has overtaken Conservatives in general election polls, running a six percentage point advantage in one recent tally. Last week, Mr. Johnson’s party lost 487 seats and 12 councils. Labour picked up the Conservative strongholds of Wandsworth and Westminster. This is Mr. Starmer’s moment, and it is on the verge of being taken away.    

The possibility that the leaders of Britain’s two signature parties will be undone by a menu of curry and beer, and in Mr. Johnson’s case, cake and wine, is a sign of unserious times. This is especially true considering where Labor was before Mr. Starmer acceded to his leadership post. His predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn, oversaw the decline of the party of Clement Attlee and Tony Blair into one consumed by antisemitism. 

Mr. Corbyn’s record was remarkable. He attended a wreath laying at the grave of those who massacred Israelis at the 1972 Olympics, expressed common cause with Hamas and lent his imprimatur to a mural that depicted Jewish bankers playing Monopoly on the backs of naked and exploited workers. He memorably remarked that “some Zionists don’t understand English irony.” 

A 2019 poll showed that 87% of British Jews considered Mr. Corbyn to be personally antisemitic, and a British human rights watchdog found Labour “a culture within the party which, at best, did not do enough to prevent anti-Semitism and, at worst, could be seen to accept it.” The group concluded that “anti-Semitism within the Labour Party could have been tackled more effectively if the leadership had chosen to do so.” 

In response, Mr. Starmer suspended Mr. Corbyn and said to “those who think there’s no problem with anti-Semitism in the Labour Party, that it’s all exaggerated, or a factional attack, then, frankly, you are part of the problem too. And you should be nowhere near the Labour Party either.” He has also denounced “anti-Zionist antisemitism” and opposed the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement. 

We are not suggesting that Mr. Starmer is a figure on par with Benjamin Disraeli or Churchill. He has, however, sought to cure his party of the world’s oldest pathology. Mr. Johnson has his own post-Brexit mission. The best thing for everyone who has an enthusiasm for Britain is for Messrs. Starmer and Johnson to carry on the reforms to which they were called by their constituents and not let themselves be waylaid by their Covid misdemeanors.