Sir Keir Starmer was thrown out of a pub today after being confronted by a Labour-supporting landlord furious that he supported the lockdown which had closed his business for months.
In astonishing scenes in Bath today, Rod Humphris, the lockdown-sceptic landlord of the Raven, had to be held back by the Opposition Leader's security guards as he demanded he leave, shouting, 'that man is not allowed in my pub' and 'get out of my pub'.
The incident was captured on camera by reporters amid a visit to the city to support West of England metro mayoral candidate Dan Norris ahead of the forthcoming elections.
The bust-up comes as the Labour leader's popularity among voters has plunged to its lowest level and Sir Keir's Labour struggles in the polls - amid a surge in support for Boris Johnson's Conservatives boosted by the vaccine rollout, with the Tories enjoying a 14-point poll lead.
Mr Humphris had clashed with Sir Keir outside the Raven, accusing him of having 'failed to be the opposition' by supporting the lockdown and backing plans to make schoolchildren wear masks.
As the politician paused the landlord waved a piece of paper at him, saying: 'Do you know what the average age of death with Covid is?
'According to the Office for National statistics it's 82 years and three months. The average age of death normally? Eighty one years.
'Do you understand we have f***ed our economy because old people are dying?'
As Sir Keir tried to walk away he continued: 'No, no I came here to speak to this man not your security.
'You have failed me. I have been a Labour voter my entire life. You have failed to be the opposition.
'You have failed to ask whether lockdown was functioning. Do you understand? Thousands of people have died because you have failed to do your job and ask the real questions.'
In astonishing scenes in Bath today Rod Humphris, landlord of the Raven pub, had to be held back by the Opposition Leader's security guards as he demanded he leave.
Mr Humphris had clashed with Sir Keir outside, accusing him of having 'failed to be the opposition' by supporting the lockdown and backing plans to make schoolchildren wear masks.
As the politician paused the landlord waved a piece of paper at him, saying: 'Do you understand we have f***ed our economy because old people are dying?'
This prompted the scenes in which Mr Humphris demanded the Labour leader leave the pub.
The Tories were up 2 per cent on 43 per cent in the survey by YouGov carried out after last Monday's reopening of shops, pubs and other essential services.
Watch out Keir! Landlord who has a sideline as an award-winning thriller author says his most prized possession is a shotgun
Mr Humphris describes himself as a 'traveller and dog lover' and spends his free time penning crime/noir fiction.
He is a joint owner of The Raven pub and also works behind the bar.
Speaking to Bath Lives in 2017, the award-winning thriller author told the publication his most prized possession was a side-by-side shotgun made by Birmingham gunsmith Thomas Wild, in 1885.
He said the gun was 'part of the inspiration' for the book he was working on.
He admitted he once got sacked as a taxi driver and said if he owned Bath for the day, he would 'make tables and chairs outside all the cafes, pubs and restaurants absolutely compulsory.'
Writing on the publishing website Rats Tales, he says he can be found in his office typing, 'flanked by two enormous dogs, and surrounded by the ephemera he has collected on his travels.'
He adds: 'I'm happiest and most productive when travelling about in my battered old truck with a canoe on top and a dog in the back.'
Finally Sir Keir stopped and confronted him, pointing out the work done by the NHS in the pandemic, including his wife Victoria, who is a nurse.
He said that they had been 'completely overwhelmed' with cases, adding: 'They have been on the front line keeping people alive, so I really don't need lectures from you about this pandemic. Thank you. Shall we go in?'
This prompted the scenes in which Mr Humphris demanded the Labour leader leave the pub.
Sir Keir, who was wearing a black face mask while inside, left the pub following the confrontation, accompanied by members of his team.
Later, the landlord, who said he does not agree with coronavirus lockdowns, said: 'He walked into my pub without asking and I threw him out. Or at least, I did my best to throw him out - his security got in the way.'
On why he asked Sir Keir to leave, he added: '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?'
Speaking afterwards, Mr Humphris added: 'He was outside - so I went and politely waited till I got is attention.
'He listened to me - but to be honest he didn't have much choice.
'He then said something I thought was patronising about his niece being on the front line. He looked a little bit p****d off that it wasn't necessarily smooth sailing.
'Then he walked past me and went into the pub and so I followed him in to eject him. I was restrained by his security and then he left.'
The Labour leader was in Bath today to support West of England metro mayoral candidate Dan Norris and mark Labour's launch of an independent Commission to rebuild Britain's high streets.
Mr Humphris, who has been landlord of the Raven since 2004, tried to show Sir Keir graphs detailing average age of deaths - which he claims are no different to previous years.
'He walked straight past me into the pub. He assumed he was welcome and he wasn't, I was absolutely furious,' he added.
'I feel utterly let down by that man. He's failed to do the job of the opposition leader - failed to challenge the government and speak up for poor and vulnerable and failed to question the facts.
'The average age of Covid death is 82 - this means the older you get you die. The average age of death normally is 81 - why's this not been spoken about in Parliament?
'Do you ever remember old people being separated in care homes and not being allowed to see each other although they might die?
'Do you ever remember a lack of cancer treatment? That stuff should be being spoken about in parliament and should have been for months and months.'
Mr Humphris claimed the enforcement of masks to combat the virus was 'pointless' and wishes the government had chosen to ignore pressure from other countries to go into lockdown.
He added: 'There's no evidence that masks work. Basically, what it feels like is basically a signal of compliance.
'A lot of the world has simply not done Covid or lockdowns, and not a single one of them has had worse deaths than us.
'Why's he not standing up in parliament an telling about what's happening in Florida? They've got a very old population, but they've had no more deaths than us.
'That means lockdown was a mistake and he should have said this in parliament.
'I do feel angry. He has failed us, he has not done the job of the opposition, which is to challenge the government. One of the points of the Labour Party is it stands up for the poor people, and he's failed to do that.'
Speaking to Somerset Live, Mr Humphris claimed Sir Keir had 'has just sat by and not challenged' the opposition party.
He added: 'He has consigned people to death by poverty, unemployment, despair and alcoholism, by not challenging these decisions.
'He is the Labour leader, he should be standing up for us, but I would have said the same to Boris or any of them. It would be very hard for me to vote Labour now, but I don't know who I'd vote for.'
Labour said on Twitter that it would 'not be amplifying' the footage of Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer being confronted by the landlord.
The tweets said: '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. 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.'
Mr Johnson continues to lead Sir Keir when people were asked who would be the better prime minister, by 34 per cent to 26 per cent.
Boris also comes undone in West as he can't name Tory mayor
Boris Johnson faced humiliation today after he was unable to name the current mayor of the West of England - despite the regional leader being a Conservative.
The Prime Minister was asked during a campaign visit to Gloucestershire ahead of local elections next month if he was able to name Tim Bowles, the incumbent mayor who was elected in 2017.
But Mr Johnson failed to name Mr Bowles after repeated questions, with the PM resorting to saying he was 'campaigning for the West of England mayor, and all Conservative candidates'.
Mr Bowles is the first metro mayor for the West of England Combined Authority, made up of three of the councils in the region – Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
The Conservatives now have a 14-point poll lead as they appear to continue to reap the rewards of the jab programme and lockdown easing.
The Tories were up 2 per cent on 43 per cent in the survey by YouGov carried out after last Monday's reopening of shops, pubs and other essential services.
Labour in contrast had slumped 5 per cent to 29 per cent, the lowest figure since Sir Keir replaced Jeremy Corbyn a year ago.
Mr Johnson continues to lead Sir Keir when people were asked who would be the better prime minister, by 34 per cent to 26 per cent.
But more than a third of the electorate (36 per cent) were still undecided, a figure which could allow for some limited optimism at Labour HQ.
The poll comes less than a month before Scottish Parliament, local and police and crime commissioner elections take place across the UK on May 6.
The vote, which is larger this year because it takes in those votes postponed last year, is the first acid test of Sir Keir's leadership.
Mr Johnson faced his own Westcountry humiliation today as he appeared to forget the name of one of his own mayors.
The Prime Minister was asked during a campaign visit to Gloucestershire ahead of local elections next month if he was able to name Tim Bowles, the incumbent mayor who was elected in 2017.
But Mr Johnson failed to name Mr Bowles after repeated questions, with the PM resorting to saying he was 'campaigning for the West of England mayor, and all Conservative candidates'.
The Prime Minister was asked during a campaign visit to Gloucestershire ahead of local elections next month if he was able to name Tim Bowles, the incumbent Tory mayor for the West of England, but he was unable to do so
Mr Bowles announced he will step down from the post at the end of his first term, with four candidates running to be his successor in next month's election
Mr Bowles is the first metro mayor for the West of England Combined Authority, made up of three of the councils in the region – Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire.
The Conservative mayor announced he will step down from the post at the end of his first term, with four candidates running to be his successor in next month's election.
Mr Johnson was asked if he knew who the West of England mayor is and he replied: 'I'm very much in favour of powerful mayors in the West of England and elsewhere.
'But what I want to see is a strong Conservative mayor in London and across the West Midlands and West of England and across the whole of the country.'
Told that the current mayor for the West of England is a Tory, and asked again to name him, Mr Johnson said: 'Well I can tell you I'll be out campaigning for the West of England mayor, and all Conservative candidates, throughout the week.'
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