Category Archives: james cleverly

James Cleverly Fails To Back Kemi Badenoch Over Nazi Row

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James Cleverly has refused to back Kemi Badenoch after she compared education secretary Bridget Phillipson to a Nazi.

The Tory leader said the cabinet minister “has acted like a Gestapo officer” by ending a tax break for private schools, which has led to some being forced to close due to falling pupil numbers.

She said: “I compared her to a Gestapo officer, acting like a Gestapo officer, with the way she was closing down those schools which didn’t appeal to her own ideology.”

Responding on X, Phillipson said: “The Gestapo marched hundreds of thousands of innocent people to their deaths. I’ve ended private schools’ tax breaks to invest in state schools.

“No responsible leader makes vile comparisons like this. Kemi Badenoch is not fit to be Prime Minister.”

On BBC One’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show, shadow housing secretary Cleverly distanced himself from Badenoch’s choice of language.

Asked by presenter Victoria Derbyshire if he would have made that comparison, he said: “No I probably wouldn’t have done.”

Later in the interview, he said: “That wouldn’t have been the phraseology that I would use.”

Labour chair Anna Turley said: “Kemi’s top team won’t defend the indefensible because they know full well Kemi Badenoch’s comments were completely appalling and deeply inappropriate.

“Time and again Badenoch sinks below the standards the public rightly expect from a Leader of His Majesty’s opposition. The simple fact is she’s not up to the job.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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‘Rewards For Failure’: Fury Erupts After Rishi Sunak Hands Gongs To Top Tories

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Rishi Sunak has been accused of giving “rewards for failure” after he handed out gongs to senior Tories in his resignation honours list.

Michael Gove, Mark Harper and Alister Jack are among the former cabinet ministers given seats for life in the House of Lords by the former prime minister.

He also awarded knighthoods to James Cleverly, Jeremy Hunt, Grant Shapps, Mel Stride and Andrew Mitchell.

In all, Sunak – who led the Conservatives to a landslide general election defeat last year – gave honours to 11 current and former Tory MPs, 18 former Tory advisers, two Tory councillors and the party’s former chief executive.

He also awarded a knighthood to former England cricketer James Anderson and the filmmaker Matthew Vaughn.

Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “These political nominations look like an ID parade of political flunkies whose fingerprint of failure are still felt on family finances.

“They are rewards for the failure of a dreadful Conservative government that was rightly kicked out of office.

“Millions of hard working families were fed up after years of Conservative chaos culminating in a cost of living crisis, and public services on their knees.

“The fact that Rishi Sunak has dished out honours to his mates after all the damage they did is yet more proof of how out of touch the Conservatives still are.”

Darren Hughes, chief executive of the Electoral Reform Society, said: “Trust in our politics has slumped to record lows in recent years. Yet today the public is again witnessing the spectacle of a former prime minster stuffing even more friends and allies into the already ludicrously bloated House of Lords – handing each one a job for life in parliament.

“This business-as-usual ‘jobs for mates’ approach at Westminster will do nothing to arrest that alarming collapse in public trust.”

The reaction was no more positive on social media.

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All the amazing, tireless and often unappreciated public servants and national heroes that Prime Ministers meet on a daily basis, and Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours and peerages list looks like this:

18 x former Tory advisers
11 x Tory and former Tory MPs
2 x Tory councillors…

— Ben Kentish (@BenKentish) April 11, 2025

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All the amazing, tireless and often unappreciated public servants and national heroes that Prime Ministers meet on a daily basis, and Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours and peerages list looks like this:

18 x former Tory advisers
11 x Tory and former Tory MPs
2 x Tory councillors…

— Ben Kentish (@BenKentish) April 11, 2025

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Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list and the usual titles handed out to underwhelming politicians.

Time this nonsense stopped.

— Mike Pav (@CharlieBunyan) April 11, 2025

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Rishi Sunak’s resignation honours list and the usual titles handed out to underwhelming politicians.

Time this nonsense stopped.

— Mike Pav (@CharlieBunyan) April 11, 2025