Is there a Tory ‘attack unit’?
Labour shadow attorney general accuses Tories of a smear campaign against Keir Starmer

Emily Thornberry has said a Tory “attack unit” is behind the so-called beergate furore that has forced Keir Starmer to say he will resign if he is found by police to have broken lockdown rules.
The Labour shadow attorney general made the comments when discussing the allegations with LBC’s Andrew Marr, and suggested that Durham police had been goaded into investigating the incident further by a Tory campaign force.
“The Conservative party has something called an attack unit which has been working overtime, according to The Sunday Times, with various people in Durham putting together something they have given to Durham police,” she told Marr.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
When asked by Marr if she thought the police had been “intimidated by the press”, she answered: “I think that the Conservative party central office believes that it is in their political interest to try to smear Keir Starmer and to try to make sure that all politicians are seen as the same.”
Thornberry’s comments referenced an article in The Sunday Times by chief political commentator Tim Shipman, which assessed Boris Johnson’s chances in the next general election, despite being “roasted” in last week’s local elections.
Shipman wrote that the announcement by Durham police on Friday that they would further investigate a beer and curry enjoyed by Starmer and his staff during a campaign last year was a “success for the CCHQ attack unit” and named its leading figures as Ross Kempsell, the political director of Conservative campaign headquarters (CCHQ), and Alex Wild, head of communications for CCHQ.
Alongside local Tory MP Richard Holden, they “dug up details about the event to undermine claims that it was simply a pause for food in the working day”, reported Shipman. He added that Conservative sources also said they had been “helped on the ground by hard-left Labour activists who resent Starmer replacing Jeremy Corbyn”.
Wild has been described in the past as a “punchy, attack-minded operator” whose style is to “defend the PM from the front foot”, according to Politico’s London Playbook, while Kempsell, once a Times Radio correspondent, is known to be a trusted advisor to the prime minister who has won praise for his work across CCHQ.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
July 5 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include an extrajudicial detainment camp, 'alligator Alcatraz', and tax cuts for billionaires.
-
5 explosively funny cartoons about the 4th of July
Cartoons Artists take on liberty and justice for all, a terrifying firework, and more
-
Jeff in Venice: a "triumph of tackiness"?
In the Spotlight Locals protest as Bezos uses the city as a 'private amusement park' for his wedding celebrations
-
How will Trump's megabill affect you?
Today's Big Question Republicans have passed the 'big, beautiful bill' through Congress
-
How successful would Elon Musk's third party be?
Today's Big Question Musk has vowed to start a third party after falling out with Trump
-
How will Labour pay for welfare U-turn?
Today's Big Question A dramatic concession to Labour rebels has left the government facing more fiscal dilemmas
-
Backbench rebellions and broken promises: is it getting harder to govern?
Today's Big Question Backbench rebellions and broken promises: is it getting harder to govern?
-
Are masked ICE agents America's new secret police?
Today's Big Question Critics say masks undermine trust in law enforcement
-
Will NATO countries meet their new spending goal?
today's big question The cost of keeping Trump happy
-
Is Trump sidelining Congress' war powers?
Today's Big Question The Iran attack renews a long-running debate
-
Labour's brewing welfare rebellion
The Explainer Keir Starmer seems determined to press on with disability benefit cuts despite a "nightmare" revolt by his own MPs