Category Archives: keir starmer

‘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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Labour Denies Claims It Is Offering Peerages To Left-Wing MPs Who Promise To Step Down

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Labour’s Yvette Cooper has denied claims the party is offering peerages to left-wing MPs who step down to make way for Keir Starmer’s preferred candidates.

The shadow home secretary rejected a new report from The Times which claims some people who were Labour MPs– up until parliament was dissolved last week – could be elevated to the House of Lords if they gave up their seats.

She told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “No party can do that, it’s not the way the system works.”

She said there is a “whole process” where an independent committee vets nominations to the Lords, so no one cannot be promised a seat there by any party leader.

The report comes after a tumultuous week for the frontrunners in the general election as Labour has faced several accusations of trying to purge any left-wing candidates.

Former leader Jeremy Corbyn, Faiza Shaheen and Lloyd Russell-Moyle were all prevented from standing for Labour in recent weeks.

Starmer faced further backlash after refusing to say whether veteran MP Diane Abbott would be allowed to stand as a Labour candidate – prompting her and her supporters to accuse him of “culling” the Labour left over the last week.

Abbott lost the whip in 2023 after claiming Irish, Traveller and Jewish people only experienced “prejudice” not racism – a claim she later apologised for and withdrew.

The whip was returned to her in May but there was widespread speculation the party was planning to ban her from standing.

Starmer denied all claims of a purge, saying he just wants”the highest quality candidates”.

He also said that the decision around Abbott was up to the party’s national executive committee, and not him.

Then even Starmer’s deputy Angela Rayner said publicly that Abbott should be allowed to stand.

In an embarrassing U-turn, he finally said on Friday that the left-winger was free to represent his party.

Abbott is yet to confirm whether she will represent the party and said she will not be making a comment until she is officially endorsed by Labour’s National Executive Committee next week.

However she told Sky News that the “narrative does look positive”.

Cooper also told Phillips on Sunday that she assumes Abbott will be the Labour candidate for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, the seat she has held since 1987.

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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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Keir Starmer Blasts Rishi Sunak’s ‘Desperation’ And ‘Weakness’

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Keir Starmer has said he is fed up of “wasting” his life in opposition, as he attacked “weak” and “desperate” Rishi Sunak.

Speaking in West Sussex on Monday, the Labour leader said there had been a “smile on my face since January 1” because he “knew this was going to be election year”.

At the start of the first full week of campaigning, Starmer laughed off Tory attempts to copy Donald Trump’s insults by branding him “sleepy”.

“You’ve seen the energy that not only I but the whole team are putting into this election,” he told reporters.

“I’ve wasted nine years of my life in opposition. I have four and half years to change this labour party and now I have the chance to take that to the country.

“We’re doing that not only with the energy but also with a smile, with the positivity, across all of our candidates as we go into the next general election.”

Over the weekend a Conservative source told The Sun Starmer was “Sir Sleepy” and the Financial Times quoted Tory officials as branding him “Sleepy Keir”.

The attacks are an obvious aping of Trump’s attack on Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe”.

Starmer sought to contrast his attempts to move Labour to the centre ground with Sunak who he said had shown “weakness upon weakness” when it came to standing up to right-wing Tory MPs.

“I have changed this Labour party, dragged it back to service, and I will do exactly the same for Westminster – that is the choice at this election: Service or self-interest, stability or chaos, a Labour Party that has changed or a Tory Party that has run away from the mainstream,” he said.

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No Jail For 18-Year-Olds Who Refuse National Service, Says James Cleverly

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James Cleverly has said 18-year-olds would not be sent to jail if they refused to take part in the Conservative’s national service plan.

Rishi Sunak has announced if he wins the election he will introduce the “mandatory” new scheme.

Under the policy, every 18-year-old would have to either join the military or spend one weekend a month carrying out a community service.

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

In an interview with Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips programme, Cleverly defended the policy.

“We want to build a society where people mix with people outside their own communities, mix with people from different backgrounds, different religions, different income levels,” he said.

“The bulk of this is about helping build a cohesive society where people mix outside their bubble.”

Asked what the punishment would be for people who refused, the home secretary added: “There’s going to be no criminal sanctions, nobody’s going to jail over this.”

The Tories have said their national service programme will cost £2.5 billion a year by 2029/2030.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “This is another desperate £2.5 billion unfunded commitment from a Tory Party which already crashed the economy, sending mortgages rocketing, and now they’re spoiling for more.

“This is not a plan – it’s a review which could cost billions and is only needed because the Tories hollowed out the Armed Forces to their smallest size since Napoleon.

“Britain has had enough of the Conservatives, who are bankrupt of ideas, and have no plans to end 14 years of chaos. It’s time to turn the page and rebuild Britain with Labour.”

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‘Keir Starmer’s Going To Kick Me’: Wes Streeting Embarrassed After Forgetting One Of Labour’s 6 Pledges

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He said: “Economic stability, cut NHS waiting lists, 6,500 extra teachers, Secure Border Command, Great British Energy and … what’s the one I’ve missed? I’ve put them out of order.”

As Kuenssberg and her other guests laughed, Streeting pulled a card containing the pledges out of his jacket pocket and said: “Crack down on anti-social behaviour.

“The annoying thing is I was preparing for that question and I still fluffed it. I might as well just go home now.”

Asked about his gaffe while appearing later on LBC, Streeting said: “Don’t even go there. You have no idea how hard I’ve been kicking [myself].

“I knew that question would come up, you spend time preparing for it, in the moment I had a total brain freeze. I think Keir Starmer is going to kick me on Monday.”

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Elphicke Defection Not An ‘Error Of Judgement’ By Keir Starmer, Says Jon Ashworth

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Keir Starmer did not make an “error of judgement” when he accepted former Tory MP Natalie Elphicke into the Labour Party, shadow cabinet minister Jonathan Ashworth has said.

Elphicke, the MP for Dover, shocked Westminster when she sensationally defected to Labour on Wednesday.

But many Labour MPs are unhappy given her right-wing views on immigration and previous support for her ex-husband who was found guilty of sexual assault.

According to The Sunday Times, in 2020 Elphicke also lobbied the justice secretary, Robert Buckland, on behalf of her then husband Charlie.

Elphicke is reported to have pressed Buckland for his case to be moved to a less high profile court to avoid public scrutiny.

Challenged over the report on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Ashworth said Elphicke had dismissed it as “nonsense”.

“If Robert Buckland has evidence or has more to say then let’s hear what he says,” Ashworth, the shadow paymaster general, said.

But he was asked: “Don’t these allegations start to create a sense maybe Keir Starmer and the Labour leadership team have made an error of judgement?”

Ashworth said: “No, no, no, no, no, no.”

“I think whatNatalie Elphicke’s crossing of the floor reveals is the extent to which we are witnessing a disintegrating and decaying Conservative government,” he said.

“More broadly what she has done – like thousands and thousands of conservatives across the country – she has shifted to he Labour Party because she can see after 14 years of failure its time for change.”

Labour MP Jess Philips, a former shadow domestic violence minister, told Sky News last week Elphicke’s admission to Labour was “a bit like being punched in the gut”.

While former Labour leader Neil Kinnock told the BBC that Labour should be “choosy to a degree about who we allow to join” as while it is a “very broad church” churches “have walls and there are limits”.

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Rishi Sunak’s ‘Hung Parliament’ Prediction In Tatters As Labour Takes 30-Point Poll Lead

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Labour has taken a 30-point opinion poll lead over the Tories – just days after Rishi Sunak said the UK was heading for a hung parliament.

YouGov put support for Keir Starmer’s party on 48%, with the Conservatives on just 18%.

Reform UK are just five points behind the Tories on 13%, with the Lib Dems on 9% and the Greens on 7%.

It is the biggest lead Labour has enjoyed since Liz Truss’s disastrous time as prime minister.

The poll is yet another hammer blow for Sunak, who is still reeling from Natalie Elphicke’s shock defection to Labour yesterday.

Earlier this week, the PM said last week’s local elections – in which the Tories lost nearly 500 council seats – “suggest we are heading for a hung parliament with Labour as the largest party”.

But according to the Electoral Calculus website, Labour would have a 452-seat majority if the YouGov poll was replicated at the general election, with the Tories left with just 13 seats.

Announcing his decision on X (formerly Twitter) he said: “The time is right for a new, energetic Conservative to fight for the honour of representing Stratford-on-Avon.”

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Diane Abbott’s Hopes Of Getting The Labour Whip Back Have Been Dashed By Keir Starmer

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Diane Abbott’s hopes of getting the Labour whip back appear to have been dashed by Keir Starmer.

The Labour leader said it was right to “support” the MP after the Tories’ biggest donor, Frank Hester, was alleged to have said she made him “want to hate all black women” and “should be shot”.

However, Starmer said that should not be “conflated” with the anti-Semitism accusations Abbott faces over a letter she sent to The Observer which said that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people have never been “subject to racism”.

She later apologised “unreservedly” for any “anguish” and said she withdrew the comments, but remains under investigation by the Labour Party.

Senior figures – including Ed Balls and John McDonnell – have called for Abbott to have the whip restored.

But on BBC Radio 2 today, Starmer insisted “that was for an entirely different issue” from the Hester row.

“That was allegations of anti-Semitism in relation to a letter, which is subject to an ongoing investigation which is separate from me,” he said.

The Labour leader said the party “must support” Abbott and insisted she was a “trailblazer” as parliament’s first black female MP.

Presenter Jeremy Vine then said: “In some countries there would be a statue of her, and yet she may not be able to fight her seat in the next election if you don’t hurry up and resolve this.”

But Starmer said: “All I’m saying is the abhorrent language used by the Tory donor about Diane Abbott is abhorrent, needs to be called out, the money needs to be returned. That’s one thing.

“There is a separate issue, which is Diane’s own language, which is subject to a different procedure. I don’t think we can conflate the two at this stage.”

HuffPost UK revealed yesterday that there was no imminent prospect of Abbott returning to the Labour fold.

But deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner later said she wanted to see the MP re-admitted to the parliamentary Labour party.

She said: “Personally, I would like to see Diane back but the Labour party has to follow its procedures.

“And for me, that is the most important thing – that we have made sure our party is fit to govern by making sure we have got complaint procedures that are robust and people can have confidence in.”

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MPs Back Calls For ‘Immediate’ Gaza Ceasefire On Day Of Commons Chaos

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MPs have backed calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on a day of chaos in the House of Commons.

A furious row erupted in the chamber over a controversial ruling made by Speaker Lindsay Hoyle before the debate began.

In a highly unusual move, he chose a Labour amendment to an SNP opposition day motion, sparking anger from both Scottish nationalist and Tory MPs.

He told MPs: “It’s important on this occasion that the House is able to consider the widest possible range of options.”

SNP MPs shouted “shame” at Hoyle as he delivered his ruling, which killed off any chance of Keir Starmer suffering a rebellion similar to the one in November which saw 56 Labour MPs defy him over the war.

Owen Thompson, the SNP chief whip, accused Hoyle – who was elected as a Labour MP in 1997 – of “doing things in a way that has never been done before”.

Following four hours of debate, Commons leader Penny Mordaunt then stunned MPs by withdrawing the government’s own amendment calling for a “humanitarian pause” in the conflict.

She said that was in protest at Hoyle’s decision to effectively re-write parliamentary procedure to allow Labour’s amendment to be taken.

Amid chaotic scenes, SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn demanded that Hoyle be brought to the chamber and for the Commons proceedings to be suspended.

When that was denied by deputy speaker Rosie Winterton, all of the SNP MPs, and many Tories, walked out.

After a lengthy delay, Labour’s amendment calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” was passed unopposed.

Meanwhile, Labour was forced to deny claims that senior party figures had warned Hoyle that he would be removed as Speaker after the general election unless he chose their amendment.

A Labour spokesperson told HuffPost UK: “It’s complete rubbish. Untrue.”

HuffPost UK has also been told that dozens of MPs have contacted the Speaker to raise fears about their personal safety as a result of how they vote on the issue.

But Hoyle’s decision was publicly criticised by his top adviser, clerk of the Commons Tom Goldsmith.

In a letter published in the House of Commons library, he said it was “a departure from the long-established convention”.

He said there had only been two occasions in the past 25 years when opposition amendments to opposition motions had been accepted, and on both occasions – unlike today – there had been no government amendment as well.

Goldsmith added: “I know that you understand why I feel compelled to point out that long-established conventions are not being followed in this case.

“I am grateful to you for making every effort to discuss this with me extensively and for taking full account of my views when reaching your decision, which I know was not an easy one, and which of course is one for you to make.”

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