Keir Starmer pokes fun at Dominic Cummings with Brewdog PR stunt

Labour leader Keir Starmer used a visit to a Brewdog bar to pose with a beer poking fun at the Prime Minister’s well-travelled political adviser, Dominic Cummings.

BrewDog might have had their first weekend back serving customers but they never stopped working. They’ve helped in the national effort against coronavirus by making free hand sanitiser. Today we were here to say thank you. pic.twitter.com/OlGOFou2kb

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 6, 2020

Called Barnard Castle Eye Test, the limited edition IPA was named via a public vote, shortly after news broke that Cummings had broken his government’s own lockdown rules. A joint-investigation by the Guardian and Mirror revealed Cummings broke the UK’s lockdown rules in April, travelling 260 miles with his wife and child to his parent’s home in Durham. His wife had already developed coronavirus symptoms before they set off, and Cummings started displaying symptoms the next day.

Starmer visited a Brewdog bar in Tower Hill, east London, to pose with a can of Barnard Castle Eye Test and pour himself a pint for the cameras.

Today @Keir_Starmer stopped off at our Towerhill Bar & picked up some Barnard Castle Eye Test.

He also thanked us for helping in the national effort against coronavirus by making free hand sanitiser.

Thanks for the support Keir & enjoy the beer. pic.twitter.com/nkjsNt0E4y

— James Watt (@BrewDogJames) July 6, 2020

Brewdog is known for mixing beer with politics, and the reviews are often mixed. It released ’Hello My Name Is Vladimir’ in 2014, to protest the Russian president’s anti-gay stance ahead of the Sochi Winter Olympic games, and last year, launched ‘Hello My Name Is (Unelected) Boris‘ to protest the PM’s decision to prorogue parliament.

But this may be the first time they’ve broken the fourth wall and got a real life politician in on the act.

While Starmer enjoyed a bit of point-scoring against the Conservatives, the beer has also proved very successful for Brewdog.

Watt told his 67,000 followers on Twitter that the company’s website crashed for nine hours when the beer was launched, and has sold 648,768 cans of Barnard Castle Eye Test so far.

It was “the most demand we have ever seen for a beer”, Watt said.