Category Archives: Rishi Sunak

Italy’s PM Seems To Ask Sunak The Only Diplomatic Question Possible Amid Brutal Election Campaign

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Giorgia Meloni appeared to ask Rishi Sunak the only diplomatic question she possibly could when the two leaders met today at the start of the G7 summit.

As they greeted each other with an embrace in front of the cameras, the Italian PM leaned towards her beleaguered British counterpart and appeared to say: “Are you OK?”

A seemingly innocent question, but accompanied with quite the worried expression.

It’s not clear how Sunak answered – Meloni just smiled in response and leant away from him as he continued to grip her hands tightly, while the conversation seemed to move onto casual niceities.

Watch their strange encounter here:

This exchange came hours after the prime minister faced a brutal grilling from both Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby and a live audience.

He was even booed by the crowd when he blamed industrial action for long NHS waiting lists – despite pledging to bring them down himself at the start of 2023.

Viewers also decided that Keir Starmer outperformed the PM last night, with almost two-thirds of the public thinking Sunak had not come across as well, according to YouGov.

But, the debate was just the latest catastrophe of the last three weeks of Sunak’s disastrous campaign.

From calling a snap election while standing in the pouring rain and facing awkward encounters with furious members of the public to leaving D-Day commemorations early only to be ridiculed for saying he had to go without Sky TV growing up, Sunak has lurched from PR crisis to PR crisis.

Meloni, on the other hand, has had an excellent week.

Her far-right party, the Brothers of Italy, experience a stomping victory in the European parliament elections, making her the only Western European leader to be strengthened by the controversial vote.

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‘Why Should Anyone Believe You?’: Rishi Sunak Monstered By Journalists At Tory Manifesto Launch

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Rishi Sunak endured a torrid grilling from journalists as he launched the Tories’ underwhelming election manifesto.

The 76-page document only contained one major new policy – a plan to abolish National Insurance contributions for the self-employed.

The party has also vowed to cut another 2p off the overall rate of National Insurance, despite previous reductions doing nothing to improve their poll ratings.

But the prime minister risked a backlash from Tory right-wingers for refusing to commit to removing Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights.

In a clear sign that he expects to lose on July 4, Sunak begged voters not to hand Keir Starmer a “blank cheque” in government as he once again repeated his hotly-contested claim that Labour will put up taxes by £2,000 per household.

Although he got a warm reception from the Tory ministers and supporters gathered at Silverstone Grand Prix race track, the PM was monstered during a question and answer session with reporters.

ITV political editor Robert Peston said: “Tories in government since 2010 have been pushing up the tax burden to levels we haven’t seen since the late 1940s. Why should anyone believe you when you say you’re going to cut tax?”

BBC political editor Chris Mason told him: “For much of the last 18 months, you’ve tried everything to try and revive Conservative fortunes and not much appears to have worked.

“Could we rename this document as your last chance saloon? What is in this to shift things that perhaps haven’t shifted up until now?”

Sunak told him the country had “turned the corner” thanks to his leadership.

He said: “There is a clear choice at this election. We are the only party putting bold action on the table that will transform our country.

“Labour have nothing to say about the problems our country faces and how best to address them. Nothing. Keir Starmer is asking for a blank cheque and he will not tell people which taxes he is going to put up that are ultimately going to cost them £2,000.”

Ben Riley-Smith, political editor of the Daily Telegraph, asked the PM: “What do you say to those who say the manifesto isn’t ambitious enough and this won’t be a game-changer?”

Sky News political editor Beth Rigby said: “A recent poll shows only one in six voters thinks you won’t raise their taxes, compared with one in four for Labour.

“Labour’s more trusted on tax than you at the moment – that’s your record as chancellor and now prime minister. I’m sure that’s a disappointment to you.

“Haven’t you blown it now, whatever you say?”

But Sunak insisted he was “very proud” of his record as chancellor, pointing out that he had brought in the furlough scheme during the Covid pandemic.

He said: “We will always be there to protect this country through difficult times.”

Labour campaign chief Pat McFadden said: “This Conservative manifesto is a recipe for five more years of Tory chaos.

“After 14 years in power, the prime minister’s desperate manifesto is stuffed full of unfunded spending commitments. The prime minister that was brought in to be the antidote to the chaos of Liz Truss has instead become the next instalment of the same thing.”

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‘Was He Just Not Bothered?’: Trevor Phillips Slams Sunak Over D-Day Snub In Angry Clash With Mel Stride

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Mel Stride clashed with Trevor Phillips this morning after the Sky News presenter asked whether Rishi Sunak left last week’s D-Day commemoration early because he was “just not bothered” about those who died on the beaches at Normandy.

The prime minister’s election campaign has been turned upside down by his decision to return to London rather than attend an event alongside other world leaders on Thursday afternoon.

Instead, foreign secretary David Cameron was left to represent the UK alongside US president Joe Biden, German chancellor Olaf Scholz and French president Emmanuel Macron.

Phillips told Stride the controversy “just makes the country embarrassed”.

He said: “The reason this has become such a big deal is this – the prime minister is never slow to boast about his facility with numbers.

“In the battle of Normandy, the Americans lost 29,000 soldiers, the Canadians 5,000, the French 12,000. We won’t even talk about what happened to the Germans.

“Did the prime minister not know those numbers, or did he just not care? That’s the question.”

As Stride tried to avoid the question, Phillips asked: “Was he just not bothered?”

The minister replied: “No, absolutely not. Look at Rishi Sunak’s record …”

But Phillips interrupted: “No, look at what he did on Thursday.”

Stride hit back: “You’ve got to give me a chance to answer your question.”

But Phillips told him: “You’re not answering my question.”

The minister replied: “I haven’t had a chance to, actually. When it comes to what happened, he has made an unequivocal apology. I know he will be feeling this very deeply, and let me just talk about his record and how he stands up for this country.”

David Cameron took Sunak's place on Thursday afternoon.
David Cameron took Sunak’s place on Thursday afternoon.

LUDOVIC MARIN via Getty Images

Phillips then hit back: “You’ve said that twice already, and the question I’m asking you is look at that picture as 60 million Britons do, and ask yourself the question that they are asking. Did he understand the weight of this event or did he not care enough?”

Stride insisted “this man cares very deeply about our country and I know that because I know him well.”

Meanwhile, the minister also had to insist that Sunak will not resign before election day on July 4.

Phillips asked him: “Would it not be a courageous and moral act for him to announce that he knows he is leading his party to defeat, partly because of his own actions and his own shortcomings, and that he will not step aside to save seats which won’t be saved if he stays for the next four weeks?

“Is he going to lead you into this election?”

Stride replied: “Absolutely, and there should be no question of anything other than that because what matters now is there’s a clear choice for the British people.”

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Nigel Farage On The Rack Over Claim Rishi Sunak ‘Doesn’t Understand Our Culture’

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Nigel Farage was left squirming this morning over his claim that Rishi Sunak “doesn’t understand our history and our culture”.

The Reform UK leader made the comment after the prime minister left the D-Day commemoration early.

But on BBC1 this morning, Laura Kuenssberg said viewers “might imagine that you are trying, not very subtly, to emphasise the prime minister’s immigrant heritage”.

Farage insisted he was referring to the PM’s “class and privilege”.

But work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said Farage’s remarks were “deeply regrettable”.

In their interview, Kuenssberg told Farage: “I want to ask you about the prime minister’s early exit from the D-Day commemoration this week.

“After that, you said that he wasn’t patriotic and you said that Rishi Sunak didn’t understand our history and our culture’. What did you mean by that?”

Farage replied: “Absolutely right. He should have known in his heart that it was right to be there. I was there, I’ve been raising money for some weeks to send veterans back to Normandy.

“The vast majority of people in Britain felt this commemoration was important, and the last opportunity to honour those remnants that are still alive.

“By the way, I know what your question is leading at. Forty per cent of our contribution in World War One and World War Two came from the Commonwelath. He is utterly disconnected by class, by privilege, from how the ordinary folk in this country feel.

“He revealed that, I think spectacularly, when he left Normandy early.”

Laura: “But Mr Farage, when you say ‘our culture’, I think many of our viewers might imagine that you are trying, not very subtly, to emphasise the prime minister’s immigrant heritage.”

Farage replied: “I just made the point, 40% of our contribution in two wars came from the Commonwealth. Clearly, Mr Sunak doesn’t understand that.”

Asked what he thought about Farage’s comments, work and pensions secretary Mel Stride said: “I think they were deeply regrettable comments. I’m not entirely sure he addressed the question you put to him as to what he meant by that.”

He added: “It just seems to be to be an ill-advised thing to have said. I feel very uncomfortable with that.”

Shadow justice secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “This is a classic Nigel Farage trick – lean in just enough to signal a bit of a dog whistle and then lean back and sound perfectly reasonable and say some thing good about the contribution Commonwealth soldiers and ethnic minorities made towards the war effort.

“We can all see exactly what Nigel Farage is doing, he’s got form, it’s completely unacceptable. This is a man who has a track record of seeking to divide communities.”

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Tory Minister Forced To Deny That Rishi Sunak Will Quit Before July 4

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A Tory minister has been forced to deny that Rishi Sunak will resign before the general election amid the row over his D-Day snub.

The prime minister is under mounting pressure following his decision to leave Normandy early during the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the Allied invasion of mainland Europe during World War 2.

Sunak cancelled media interviews yesterday – a virtually unprecedented move during an election campaign – as the row continued.

That led to speculation that the PM might even quit in order to try to prevent a Conservative wipeout on July 4.

Former cabinet minister Nadine Dorries last night posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Rumours around tonight that Sunak’s about to fall on his sword.”

On Sky News this morning, work and pensions secretary was sent out to defend Sunak, despite admitting he had not spoken to him since the D-day row broke.

Presenter Trevor Phillips asked him: “Would it not be a courageous and moral act for him to announce that he knows he is leading his party to defeat, partly because of his own actions and his own shortcomings, and that he will not step aside to save seats which won’t be saved if he stays for the next four weeks?

“Is he going to lead you into this election?”

Stride replied: “Absolutely, and there should be no question of anything other than that because what matters now is there’s a clear choice for the British people.”

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‘You Didn’t Care:’ Rishi Sunak Grilled Over Decision To Leave D-Day Ceremony Early

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Rishi Sunak has denied he considered skipping the D-Day commemorations entirely as he struggled during a TV interview to defend leaving Normandy early.

The prime minister apologised on Friday morning for flying back to the UK from France in order to record an election interview with ITV on Thursday.

Sunak’s decision triggered a fierce backlash, with Tory veterans minister Johnny Mercer branding it a “significant mistake”.

Speaking to broadcasters on Friday afternoon, the prime minister admitted that “on reflection” it was a “mistake” to ditch the ceremony attended by other world leaders.

And he denied reports he had even thought about not going to the event at all. “That’s simply not right,” he said.

“Having participated in all the British events with British veterans I returned home before the international leaders event later in the day. On reflection that was a mistake and I apologise.”

But Sunak also suggested those who criticised him were trying to “politicise” D-Day.

Sky News’ Sam Coates, who was conducting the interview, told the prime minister he sounded “more exasperated than apologetic”.

“These men made the ultimate sacrifice and you couldn’t even sacrifice an afternoon?” he said. “Prime minister, you didn’t care did you?”

Coates added: “Keir Starmer managed to stay for the whole event. You didn’t. What does that say about your judgment, your priorities and your character?.”

Sunak claimed the “itinerary” of the event had been set “weeks ago” before he called the election.

His absence meant David Cameron, the foreign secretary, was left to stand in for him at a high profile event with Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz.

Starmer – who stayed in Normandy for the entire ceremony – said earlier Sunak would have to “answer’ for his decision. “For me, there was nowhere else I was going to be,” he said.

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Rishi Sunak Accused Of ‘Bare-Faced Lie’ For Wrongly Claiming Small Boat Crossings Are Falling

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Rishi Sunak has been accused of a “bare-faced lie” for wrongly claiming the number of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats is coming down.

Sunak said: “Over the last twelve months, the number of crossings [are] down a third because the plans we’ve put in place are starting to make a difference.”

But figures released by the Home Office today show that 10,745 have made the perilous journey so far this year – up 41% on the same point last year.

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow paymaster general, said: “Another bare-faced lie from Rishi Sunak has been exposed.

“Last night, he told the British people that the number of small boat arrivals were coming down. But today, we have confirmation from the Home Office itself that small boat arrivals so far in 2024 are at a record high, running more than 40% higher than last year.

“Even worse, we now know that – when Rishi Sunak promised the British people that he would stop the boats – he was telling another lie.

“Exactly 18 months on from that day, 40,000 people have now made the crossing, while he has sat on his hands doing nothing to take on the smuggling gangs. Rishi Sunak has become a desperate liar.”

The row follows the controversy over Sunak’s claim that Labour will put up taxes by £2,000 per household if the party wins on July 4.

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Tories Accused Of Squandering £130bn Of Taxpayer Money Since The Last General Election

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The Conservatives have been accused of spending £130 billion of taxpayer funds wastefully since the last general election.

According to the Best for Britain’s Scandalous Spending Tracker – which monitors suspect government spending – the government has spent more £6 billion of that total in just the last two months.

The news, first reported by The Mirror, is yet another blow for Rishi Sunak because he has been at the top of government for the majority of last four years.

He served as chancellor between February 2020 and July 2022, and has been prime minister since October 2022 – amid a cost of living crisis, no less.

Some of this wasteful spending includes the £32,000 bill the taxpayer paid to cover the legal costs after the science secretary, Michelle Donelan, wrongly accused an academic of being a Hamas sympathiser.

Liz Truss racked up a £15,000 bill for food and alcohol on a single flight to Australia when she was foreign secretary.

The government also spent £33 million on delaying the general election by two months.

Brexit checks brought in at the end of April, meanwhile, cost £4.7 billion.

Best for Britain calculated that the Tories have wasted, on average, £26 billion per year since being re-elected in 2019.

That is 30 times the estimated cost of the Liberal Democrats’ proposal to increase GP appointments, said to cost £800 million per year, and more than the total cost of the Green Party’s plan to insulate 10 million homes, said to cost £25 billion per year.

All that wasted cash from the last few years is also enough money to carry out Keir Starmer’s six key pledges more than five times.

Chief executive of Best for Britain, Naomi Smith, and founder of tactical voting website, GetVoting.org, said: “Rishi Sunak has presided over years of delinquent government spending and while his reign of egregious waste may soon be over, we cannot risk the Tories getting their hands back in the public piggy bank in five years time.

“That’s why we’re asking people to vote tactically at the next election and get it right with GetVoting.org.”

A mega-poll from Electoral Calculus and Find Out Now for GB News and the Daily Mail suggested the Tories are on track for just 66 seats next month.

The same poll suggested Labour could win a staggering 493 seats, nearly 300 more than they won at the 2019 election.

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Tories Heading For Election Wipeout As Mega Poll Predicts They Could End Up With Just 66 Seats

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The Tories are heading for wipeout after a new mega poll predicted they are on course to win just 66 seats at next month’s general election.

The survey of more than 10,000 people suggests Keir Starmer is on course for power with a Commons majority of 336.

Among the big-name Tories who would lose their seats are deputy prime minister Oliver Dowden, home secretary James Cleverly and defence secretary Grant Shapps.

According to the poll, by Electoral Calculus and Find Out Now for GB News and the Daily Mail, Labour is on 46% – a staggering 27 points ahead of the Conservatives, who are on just 19%.

Converted into seats, that would leave Labour on 493 – nearly 300 more than they won at the 2019 election.

The Tories would plummet to just 66 seats, leaving them with just seven more MPs than the Lib Dems on 59.

The SNP is also on course for a bad night, dropping more than 20 seats to 26.

Electoral Calculus said: “Our figures indicate a substantial Labour landslide, with Keir Starmer gaining a majority of over 300 seats at Westminster.

“The Conservatives would have fewer than 100 seats. They would be the official opposition, but they would have less than half of the opposition MPs – 72 out of 157.”

The result would be even better than Tony Blair achieved in the New Labour landslide of 1997, when the party won 419 seats.

By contrast, the Tories would suffer their worst result since at least 1900.

Other cabinet members on course to lose their seats are potential leadership contenders Penny Mordaunt and Kemi Badenoch, as well as Claire Coutinho, Mel Stride, Gillian Keegan and Mark Harper.

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Parents Could Be Punished If Children Refuse National Service, Suggests Minister

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Parents could be punished if their children refuse to sign up to the Conservative’s national service programme, a minister has suggested.

In an interview on Monday, Anne-Marie Trevelyan was asked if parents could be fined in the same way they are if their children skip school.

The Foreign Office minister did not rule it out, telling Times Radio: “I’m not going to write the detailed policy now, that’s what a royal commission programme of works will be for.

“The premise has been clear, we would bring in a National Service Act, so that would be in the same way that Labour did when educational training to 18 was brought in.

“The change in the law means that there will be a clear framework set out and we’ll look forward to seeing that roll out should we be fortunate enough to win the election.”

James Cleverly, the home secretary, yesterday said there would be “no criminal sanctions” for 18-year-olds who refused. “Nobody’s going to jail over this,” he said.

Labour has ridiculed the national service policy as nothing more than a “headline-grabbing gimmick”.

Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, dismissed it as a “teenage Dad’s Army”.

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