Rishi Sunak’s latest PR efforts have once again been ripped apart, this time because he has promised to “keep Brexit safe”.
The Tory leadership hopeful is currently behind Liz Truss in the polls among Conservative Party members.
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He has therefore felt the need to bolster his pro-Brexit credentials – despite being a Brexiteer and his opponent originally campaigning for Remain.
On Monday, he released a new campaign video – significantly less slick than his previous PR work – which follows a person around as they dump huge stacks of paper into one small room with a paper sign on the door saying: “Brexit Delivery Department.”
The papers are labelled “EU red tape”, and for half of the one-minute video, the person moving the documents around can be seen gathering all of the documents together (although their face is never shown).
Then, they crack their fingers and start shredding the papers.
It is part of Sunak’s promise to build a new Brexit delivery unit which “in his first 100 days as prime minister” would see him review or repeal post-Brexit EU laws. There are 2,400 at the moment.
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It is worth noting that there is already a Brexit opportunities and government efficiency department, headed up by Jacob Rees-Mogg.
The words “Keep Brexit safe, vote Rishi Sunak today” appear across the screen in the last 10 seconds, as triumphant orchestral music plays.
The video also comes two and a half years after Boris Johnson, the outgoing Tory prime minister, promised that he “got Brexit done” by securing a deal with the EU.
With the cost of living crisis worsening, a second summer heatwave around the corner and increasingly worrying reports emerging about the state of the NHS, Sunak’s new video was not an instant success.
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Here’s how people responded to his efforts:
It has been a long, long six years. I will inevitably have forgotten a lot. But even with those caveats, I still say, with a fairly large amount of confidence, that this is the shittest thing I’ve ever seen. https://t.co/9UMJ3OHy04
It may be a naff, embarrassing video that makes him look half-witted but what he’s doing is declaring that he’s INTENTIONALLY going to make any return to viable trading with the EU -for all export sectors- more difficult, more costly, or impossible. In a recession. #Ready4Ruinhttps://t.co/2uGfQha5Cz
Apparantly it has taken Rishi Sunak and the conservatives six years to realise, that outside the EU the U.K. can actually scrap EU legislation. Maybe they didn´t realise it earlier because somebody had told them, that Brexit was already done 🙂 #Brexit#eudkhttps://t.co/HOl25RkV5C
Rishi Sunak’s latest PR efforts have once again been ripped apart, this time because he has promised to “keep Brexit safe”.
The Tory leadership hopeful is currently behind Liz Truss in the polls among Conservative Party members.
Advertisement
He has therefore felt the need to bolster his pro-Brexit credentials – despite being a Brexiteer and his opponent originally campaigning for Remain.
On Monday, he released a new campaign video – significantly less slick than his previous PR work – which follows a person around as they dump huge stacks of paper into one small room with a paper sign on the door saying: “Brexit Delivery Department.”
The papers are labelled “EU red tape”, and for half of the one-minute video, the person moving the documents around can be seen gathering all of the documents together (although their face is never shown).
Then, they crack their fingers and start shredding the papers.
It is part of Sunak’s promise to build a new Brexit delivery unit which “in his first 100 days as prime minister” would see him review or repeal post-Brexit EU laws. There are 2,400 at the moment.
Advertisement
It is worth noting that there is already a Brexit opportunities and government efficiency department, headed up by Jacob Rees-Mogg.
The words “Keep Brexit safe, vote Rishi Sunak today” appear across the screen in the last 10 seconds, as triumphant orchestral music plays.
The video also comes two and a half years after Boris Johnson, the outgoing Tory prime minister, promised that he “got Brexit done” by securing a deal with the EU.
With the cost of living crisis worsening, a second summer heatwave around the corner and increasingly worrying reports emerging about the state of the NHS, Sunak’s new video was not an instant success.
Advertisement
Here’s how people responded to his efforts:
It has been a long, long six years. I will inevitably have forgotten a lot. But even with those caveats, I still say, with a fairly large amount of confidence, that this is the shittest thing I’ve ever seen. https://t.co/9UMJ3OHy04
It may be a naff, embarrassing video that makes him look half-witted but what he’s doing is declaring that he’s INTENTIONALLY going to make any return to viable trading with the EU -for all export sectors- more difficult, more costly, or impossible. In a recession. #Ready4Ruinhttps://t.co/2uGfQha5Cz
Apparantly it has taken Rishi Sunak and the conservatives six years to realise, that outside the EU the U.K. can actually scrap EU legislation. Maybe they didn´t realise it earlier because somebody had told them, that Brexit was already done 🙂 #Brexit#eudkhttps://t.co/HOl25RkV5C
Boris Johnson will not intervene in the cost of living crisis this summer, Downing Street has said.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said it was up to his successor to make policy and he would not make any “new fiscal interventions”.
It means another four weeks of paralysis until the next prime minister is announced on September 5.
Former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown claimed there is a “vacuum” at the centre of government which has stopped it tackling the cost of living crisis.
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He has called on the UK government’s emergency response committee, Cobra, to come together to tackle the looming crisis.
Brown warned that the country was facing a “poverty time bomb” and added: “Even if Boris Johnson has gone on holiday, his deputies should be negotiating to buy new oil and gas supplies from other countries and urgently creating the extra storage capacity we currently lack.
“We should be persuading homes and buildings – as Germany is now doing – to cut back on energy usage wherever possible in the hope we can prevent formal rationing.”
But Downing Street rejected his calls saying they introduced a number of measures to help the public at the start of the summer.
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The prime minister’s official spokesman said Johnson – who is back in No.10 following his holiday in Slovenia – would be speaking to chancellor Nadhim Zahawi to ensure that support measures due to come into effect later in the year remained on track.
However, the spokesman said that any further measures would be a matter for the next prime minister.
“Clearly these global pressures mean challenging times for the public. The government recognised that the end of the year will present wider challenges with things like changes to the [energy] price cap,” the spokesman said.
“That is why, at the start of the summer, we introduced a number of measures to help the public. Clearly some of the global pressures have increased since that was announced.
“By convention it is not for this prime minister to make major fiscal interventions during this period. It will be for a future prime minister.”
The prime minister returned from his holiday today after facing accusations he had been “missing in action” while the UK was mired in political and economic crisis.
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The Labour Party has attacked the prime minister for presiding over a “zombie government” just as the Bank of England warned of a looming recession and energy bills are expected to rise to almost £4,000 in October.
According to The Telegraph Johnson and his wife Carrie stayed at an eco-hotel in Jezersko in the remote Kokra Valley in Slovenia following their delayed wedding celebration.
The Vila Planinka, where rooms range from £242 to £542 per night, is a five-star boutique hotel which promises guests they will “slow down, harmonising your rhythm with your inner balance”.
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Yui Mok – PA Images via Getty Images
Rachel Reeves MP, Labour’s shadow chancellor, said: “People are worried sick about how they’ll pay their bills and do their weekly food shop, and all this Tory prime minister does is shrug his shoulders.
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“An economic crisis like this requires strong leadership and urgent action – but instead we have a Tory party that’s lost control and are stuck with two continuity candidates who can only offer more of the same.
“Labour would start by scrapping tax breaks on oil and gas producers and providing more help to people who are struggling to pay their energy bills. Only a Labour government can tackle this crisis and deliver the stronger, more-secure economy that Britain needs.”
Boris Johnson will not intervene in the cost of living crisis this summer, Downing Street has said.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said it was up to his successor to make policy and he would not make any “new fiscal interventions”.
It means another four weeks of paralysis until the next prime minister is announced on September 5.
Former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown claimed there is a “vacuum” at the centre of government which has stopped it tackling the cost of living crisis.
Advertisement
He has called on the UK government’s emergency response committee, Cobra, to come together to tackle the looming crisis.
Brown warned that the country was facing a “poverty time bomb” and added: “Even if Boris Johnson has gone on holiday, his deputies should be negotiating to buy new oil and gas supplies from other countries and urgently creating the extra storage capacity we currently lack.
“We should be persuading homes and buildings – as Germany is now doing – to cut back on energy usage wherever possible in the hope we can prevent formal rationing.”
But Downing Street rejected his calls saying they introduced a number of measures to help the public at the start of the summer.
Advertisement
The prime minister’s official spokesman said Johnson – who is back in No.10 following his holiday in Slovenia – would be speaking to chancellor Nadhim Zahawi to ensure that support measures due to come into effect later in the year remained on track.
However, the spokesman said that any further measures would be a matter for the next prime minister.
“Clearly these global pressures mean challenging times for the public. The government recognised that the end of the year will present wider challenges with things like changes to the [energy] price cap,” the spokesman said.
“That is why, at the start of the summer, we introduced a number of measures to help the public. Clearly some of the global pressures have increased since that was announced.
“By convention it is not for this prime minister to make major fiscal interventions during this period. It will be for a future prime minister.”
The prime minister returned from his holiday today after facing accusations he had been “missing in action” while the UK was mired in political and economic crisis.
Advertisement
The Labour Party has attacked the prime minister for presiding over a “zombie government” just as the Bank of England warned of a looming recession and energy bills are expected to rise to almost £4,000 in October.
According to The Telegraph Johnson and his wife Carrie stayed at an eco-hotel in Jezersko in the remote Kokra Valley in Slovenia following their delayed wedding celebration.
The Vila Planinka, where rooms range from £242 to £542 per night, is a five-star boutique hotel which promises guests they will “slow down, harmonising your rhythm with your inner balance”.
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Yui Mok – PA Images via Getty Images
Rachel Reeves MP, Labour’s shadow chancellor, said: “People are worried sick about how they’ll pay their bills and do their weekly food shop, and all this Tory prime minister does is shrug his shoulders.
Advertisement
“An economic crisis like this requires strong leadership and urgent action – but instead we have a Tory party that’s lost control and are stuck with two continuity candidates who can only offer more of the same.
“Labour would start by scrapping tax breaks on oil and gas producers and providing more help to people who are struggling to pay their energy bills. Only a Labour government can tackle this crisis and deliver the stronger, more-secure economy that Britain needs.”
Johnson has always said he did not knowingly lie when he said no Covid rules were broken in Downing Street.
But the committee, led by veteran Labour MP Harriet Harman, will simply rule on whether the prime minister misled the House, intentionally or unintentionally.
If he is found guilty, Johnson could face a by-election in his Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat which might see him voted out of parliament.
Dorries, Johnson’s closest cabinet ally, tweeted on Sunday: “If this witch hunt continues, it will be the most egregious abuse of power witnessed in Westminster.
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“It will cast serious doubt not only on the reputation of individual MPs sitting on the committee, but on the processes of parliament and democracy itself.”
Labour MP Chris Bryant replied: “Let’s talk about abuse of power such as illegally suspending parliament or doling out peerages to donors or tearing up the rules to protect Owen Paterson.
“The real abuse of power would be suspending an inquiry to protect your mate.”
Bryant is the usual chair of the privileges committee, but stood aside for the partygate inquiry given his past criticisms of Johnson.
The committee intends to call the PM to give oral evidence in public in the autumn, under oath.
The committee has already said that whistle-blowers will be able to give evidence about the prime minister anonymously.
Johnson has also been ordered to hand over a cache of documents to the MPs, including diaries, photographs and deleted documents.
The UK’s political landscape in April 2022 was a starkly different place for Rishi Sunak.
He was a chancellor who had enjoyed unusual popularity thanks to his support for workers during the pandemic only to be plunged into an unenviable position.
The country was facing the devastating economic fallout of Covid-19, Vladimir Putin had invaded Ukraine and the biggest squeeze on living standards since records began loomed large.
Advertisement
Tables were turning on the chancellor who was criticised for not doing enough to support the poorest in his Spring statement.
So it was little wonder that when he went all “crypto bro” on us in April, the government was accused of being “out of touch”.
While millions were struggling financially, Sunak announced measures for the notoriously unregulated cryptocurrency sector, which features incredibly volatile currencies.
“It’s my ambition to make the UK a global hub for cryptoasset technology,” he said.
The statement piece of the announcement was that Sunak had instructed the 1,136-year-old Royal Mint to issue a trendy non-fungible token by the summer.
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NFTs can be anything digital such as a drawing or music but each one is a unique “one of a kind” asset – rather like a famous painting.
Damien Hirst and Bella Hadid are among the celebrities venturing into the NFT world.
They are stored on a blockchain – the same decentralised ledger of transactions used to buy and sell cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.
The crypto-phenomenon has proved fashionable with celebrities, most recently supermodel Bella Hadid joined the metaverse with an NFT collection called CY-B3LLA – featuring artworks based on 3D scans of her body.
Artist Damien Hirst is also dabbling in NFTs, announcing he will burn thousands of his paintings as part of his year-long NFT project, titled The Currency.
Advertisement
Buyers who purchased one of the 10,000 NFTs for £1,600 each have been asked to choose whether to keep it or trade it for the physical work. If the former, the painting will now be exhibited before being burned.
However, critics of NFTs say the tokens are fundamentally valueless, unregulated and that fraud and scams are a risk.
Given the huge number of computers needed to continuously run for a blockchain to function, they argue NFTs are also bad for the environment.
Since the Treasury’s announcement there has been a major crash in cryptocurrencies and Sunak walked out of the government along with other key backers.
Sunak is now locked in a battle with foreign secretary Liz Truss to become the next Tory leader and prime minister. His team have been approached for comment.
The “Bored Ape” collection of digital images is perhaps the most well-known, having been bought and traded by celebrities for tens of thousands of dollars.
Noam Galai via Getty Images
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The Treasury originally said the NFT would be issued this summer, but next to nothing has been said about the initiative.
Four months since it was announced, the public is none the wiser.
Details of the project remain largely unknown and the government has never specified what image or object the Royal Mint’s NFT would confer ownership of.
But there is a new Treasury team in town, led by former vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi, so HuffPost UK sent them a slew of questions about the NFT.
We also submitted a Freedom of Information request, asking how much taxpayers’ cash was being spent on the project.
The Treasury FoI team confirmed they held the information but refused to divulge how much they were spending on the NFT.
They said the plans were still “under development” and that ministers and officials “need space” in which plans can be refined.
Meanwhile, the Treasury’s press office remained coy about the plans, insisting they were still going ahead but unable to confirm when.
A Treasury source said it was still their “intention” to issue an NFT this summer but was unable to be more specific.
Labour’s shadow economic secretary to the Treasury Tulip Siddiq accused the government of “wasting time and money on an NFT gimmick”.
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She said the Conservatives should “come clean” about how much taxpayers’ money had been “thrown down the drain” and described the lack of transparency as “shocking”.
“With the value of crypto currencies in freefall, the government must ditch its lax attitude to crypto regulation and introduce a comprehensive regulatory regime for the sector,” she said.
“The Conservative’s wild west approach to crypto has put millions of people’s savings at risk and crypto-related crime in the UK – such as fraud and money laundering – is now at record levels.”
She also said that without proper regulation the UK was at risk of falling behind global competitors in FinTech such as the EU and US.
The Royal Mint remained tight-lipped saying they were “continuing” to develop their first NFT range and would share further details in “due course”.
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They did not answer a question about when it would launch.
Tulip Siddiq MP: “Instead of properly regulating the crypto sector to protect consumers and crack down on criminals, this incompetent government is wasting time and money on an NFT gimmick.”
House of Commons via PA Wire/PA Images
It comes after Crypto experienced one of the worst market crashes the new industry had ever witnessed – which saw popular currency bitcoin plummeting.
In a speech last month, Bank of England deputy Governor Sir Jon Cunliffe said the majority of crypto-tokens have “no intrinsic value” and are “inherently volatile, very vulnerable to sentiment and prone to collapse”.
However, the Treasury confirmed it was still “firmly committed” to its plans to create an NFT.
A Treasury spokesperson said: “We are firmly committed to putting the UK at the forefront of cryptoasset technology and innovation by capitalising on the freedoms gained by leaving the European Union.
“Our framework will support the safe adoption of crypto whilst giving regulators the agility to respond to market developments, support innovation and protect consumers.
Advertisement
“Our forthcoming Financial Services and Markets Bill will set up the framework for regulating stablecoins in the UK and we will be consulting on a world-leading regime for the rest of the crypto market later this year.”
The UK’s political landscape in April 2022 was a starkly different place for Rishi Sunak.
He was a chancellor who had enjoyed unusual popularity thanks to his support for workers during the pandemic only to be plunged into an unenviable position.
The country was facing the devastating economic fallout of Covid-19, Vladimir Putin had invaded Ukraine and the biggest squeeze on living standards since records began loomed large.
Advertisement
Tables were turning on the chancellor who was criticised for not doing enough to support the poorest in his Spring statement.
So it was little wonder that when he went all “crypto bro” on us in April, the government was accused of being “out of touch”.
While millions were struggling financially, Sunak announced measures for the notoriously unregulated cryptocurrency sector, which features incredibly volatile currencies.
“It’s my ambition to make the UK a global hub for cryptoasset technology,” he said.
The statement piece of the announcement was that Sunak had instructed the 1,136-year-old Royal Mint to issue a trendy non-fungible token by the summer.
Advertisement
NFTs can be anything digital such as a drawing or music but each one is a unique “one of a kind” asset – rather like a famous painting.
Damien Hirst and Bella Hadid are among the celebrities venturing into the NFT world.
They are stored on a blockchain – the same decentralised ledger of transactions used to buy and sell cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.
The crypto-phenomenon has proved fashionable with celebrities, most recently supermodel Bella Hadid joined the metaverse with an NFT collection called CY-B3LLA – featuring artworks based on 3D scans of her body.
Artist Damien Hirst is also dabbling in NFTs, announcing he will burn thousands of his paintings as part of his year-long NFT project, titled The Currency.
Advertisement
Buyers who purchased one of the 10,000 NFTs for £1,600 each have been asked to choose whether to keep it or trade it for the physical work. If the former, the painting will now be exhibited before being burned.
However, critics of NFTs say the tokens are fundamentally valueless, unregulated and that fraud and scams are a risk.
Given the huge number of computers needed to continuously run for a blockchain to function, they argue NFTs are also bad for the environment.
Since the Treasury’s announcement there has been a major crash in cryptocurrencies and Sunak walked out of the government along with other key backers.
Sunak is now locked in a battle with foreign secretary Liz Truss to become the next Tory leader and prime minister. His team have been approached for comment.
The “Bored Ape” collection of digital images is perhaps the most well-known, having been bought and traded by celebrities for tens of thousands of dollars.
Noam Galai via Getty Images
Advertisement
The Treasury originally said the NFT would be issued this summer, but next to nothing has been said about the initiative.
Four months since it was announced, the public is none the wiser.
Details of the project remain largely unknown and the government has never specified what image or object the Royal Mint’s NFT would confer ownership of.
But there is a new Treasury team in town, led by former vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi, so HuffPost UK sent them a slew of questions about the NFT.
We also submitted a Freedom of Information request, asking how much taxpayers’ cash was being spent on the project.
The Treasury FoI team confirmed they held the information but refused to divulge how much they were spending on the NFT.
They said the plans were still “under development” and that ministers and officials “need space” in which plans can be refined.
Meanwhile, the Treasury’s press office remained coy about the plans, insisting they were still going ahead but unable to confirm when.
A Treasury source said it was still their “intention” to issue an NFT this summer but was unable to be more specific.
Labour’s shadow economic secretary to the Treasury Tulip Siddiq accused the government of “wasting time and money on an NFT gimmick”.
Advertisement
She said the Conservatives should “come clean” about how much taxpayers’ money had been “thrown down the drain” and described the lack of transparency as “shocking”.
“With the value of crypto currencies in freefall, the government must ditch its lax attitude to crypto regulation and introduce a comprehensive regulatory regime for the sector,” she said.
“The Conservative’s wild west approach to crypto has put millions of people’s savings at risk and crypto-related crime in the UK – such as fraud and money laundering – is now at record levels.”
She also said that without proper regulation the UK was at risk of falling behind global competitors in FinTech such as the EU and US.
The Royal Mint remained tight-lipped saying they were “continuing” to develop their first NFT range and would share further details in “due course”.
Advertisement
They did not answer a question about when it would launch.
Tulip Siddiq MP: “Instead of properly regulating the crypto sector to protect consumers and crack down on criminals, this incompetent government is wasting time and money on an NFT gimmick.”
House of Commons via PA Wire/PA Images
It comes after Crypto experienced one of the worst market crashes the new industry had ever witnessed – which saw popular currency bitcoin plummeting.
In a speech last month, Bank of England deputy Governor Sir Jon Cunliffe said the majority of crypto-tokens have “no intrinsic value” and are “inherently volatile, very vulnerable to sentiment and prone to collapse”.
However, the Treasury confirmed it was still “firmly committed” to its plans to create an NFT.
A Treasury spokesperson said: “We are firmly committed to putting the UK at the forefront of cryptoasset technology and innovation by capitalising on the freedoms gained by leaving the European Union.
“Our framework will support the safe adoption of crypto whilst giving regulators the agility to respond to market developments, support innovation and protect consumers.
Advertisement
“Our forthcoming Financial Services and Markets Bill will set up the framework for regulating stablecoins in the UK and we will be consulting on a world-leading regime for the rest of the crypto market later this year.”
Keir Starmer is facing a leadership crisis over his decision to ban Labour frontbenchers from appearing on picket lines, HuffPost UK has learned.
Allies say it is “a dangerous moment” for the party leader after the edict was challenged by several shadow ministers.
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The decision to let shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy attend a picket line in her Wigan constituency last Monday has also angered senior party figures.
One shadow cabinet member said: “People think the policy of not going on picket lines was cack-handed and not thought through.
“They didn’t have a clear idea of what they were going to do when frontbenchers broke the instruction.”
The leader’s office sent an email to members of the shadow cabinet in June ordering them to tell their teams not to join pro-strike demonstrations held during that month’s train strikes.
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But some frontbenchers – including Labour whip Navendu Mishra – openly defied the instruction.
The row erupted again last month when shadow transport minister Sam Tarry was sacked after appearing on an RMT picket line.
However, Starmer said he was axed from the frontbench for doing a round of broadcast interviews without permission and “making up policy on the hoof”.
It is understood that Nandy – who was beaten to the leadership by Starmer in 2020 – informed Sam White, Starmer’s chief of staff, in advance that she would be meeting striking members of the Communication Workers Union on a picket line in Wigan.
A source close to Nandy said: “She went down to show her support for constituents campaigning for better pay and conditions at a really tough time, as you’d expect.”
But HuffPost UK understands the decision to allow her to go ahead with the picket line visit has baffled senior party figures.
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One senior MP said: “She says she rang Sam White, who told her she could go to the picket line. The big question for him is why did he not say don’t do it?”
It is understood that White, as well as Starmer, were both on holiday when the row over Nandy’s picket line appearance erupted.
A Labour source said: “Nobody forced Keir to choose this issue as the big test of his authority, but he did and his authority has been tested by junior frontbenchers and his opponent in the last leadership election and he is not doing anything about it.
“His office was floundering in terms of its response. It was a total shit show.
“Then when people are trying to get to the bottom of what’s going on, no-one is around to deal with it.”
A source close to Starmer said the policy banning shadow ministers from going on picket lines “has not changed”.
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They added: “In Sam’s defence, it’s not illogical for the chief of staff to take holiday the same time as the leader.”
Nandy’s team’s version of events is also disputed by figures close to Starmer, who say they were surprised to see pictures of her on the CWU picket line appear on social media last Monday.
But with the general election less than two years away, and a crunch party conference in Liverpool next month, Labour insiders say the issue has severely damaged Starmer’s authority.
Nandy’s team’s version of events is also disputed by figures close to Starmer, who say they were surprised to see pictures of her on the CWU picket line appear on social media last Monday.
But with the general election less than two years away, and a crunch party conference in Liverpool next month, Labour insiders say the issue has severely damaged Starmer’s authority.
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“I think it’s a dangerous moment for Keir,” said one MP. “The whole thing is just a mess and I don’t see it being resolved. It will be cast a very long shadow and has the potential trial to derail conference.”
Rishi Sunak has unveiled another new policy as part of his bid to become the next prime minister, but it has almost definitely backfired already.
The former chancellor, who has fallen behind his rival Liz Truss in the polls, says he intends to widen the definition of extremism to include those who “vilify” the UK.
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These people, including those who have an “extreme hatred of Britain” will then be referred to the government’s de-radicalisation Prevent programme, according to Sunak, although this is a voluntary scheme.
This could include law-abiding citizens who criticise Britain, but Sunak’s campaign claim it would not include government criticism and was not legally binding.
He said these proposals would “refocus” Prevent on Islamic extremism, rather than right-wing militants, claiming: “We must never let those who seek to undermine and destroy our way of life to succeed.”
Sunak said: “There is no more important duty for a prime minister than keeping our country and our people safe. Whether redoubling our efforts to tackle Islamist extremism or rooting out those who are vocal in their hatred of our country, I will do whatever it takes to fulfil that duty.
“Britain is a beacon of freedom, tolerance and diversity.”
Unfortunately, not everyone seemed to agree that this new policy echoed that.
Some people thought it was indicative of how the campaign was actually going for him – he is 34 points behind Truss according to the latest YouGov poll of Tory Party members.
Quite funny how shit Rishi Sunak is at this. Having to say bollocks like “I’ll reeducate people who think Britain is bad” in an attempt to beat *Liz Truss*.
Others pointed out that the policy announcement overlooked some key elements of the Prevent programme itself:
The announcement either forgets or ignores that the govt is supposed to be considering a new definition of extremism already created by the Commission for Countering Extremism – a body it set up itself in 2018
Ministers have not responded to official recommendations since 2019
Then there were the people who just feared the idea altogether.
And it wasn’t long until the jokes started to get out of hand…
This tiny little island has contributed mostly violence & regression to most of the world. Perverted systems of democracies a thousand years old, desecrated indigenous practises and erased languages, pillaged land & resources. Refer me, bitches. @ukhomeofficehttps://t.co/ojUQP3cCq4
Your boyfriend getting sent to the Government’s deradicalisation Prevent program for tweeting “Michael Gove is a pudding-faced cockwomble” https://t.co/aXmwV6qHKm
BREAKING: Rishi Sunak has unveiled plans to arrest you for extremism and have you deprogrammed if you say you don’t like the UK. This is one of the most sinister proposals in our country’s history, isn’t it? x
— Laura Kuenssberg Translator (@BBCLauraKT) August 3, 2022
Okay wait… are we for or against free speech? Can we get a list of the free things we’re permitted to say in order to avoid brainwashing camp? https://t.co/5MAK11LfqZ
— Dame Judi Doodlecat🩲🟨🟥🇵🇸 (@JudiDoodlecat) August 3, 2022
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Fascinating how the left have been demonised as a dangerous totalitarian menace while the supposedly ‘moderate’ Tory leadership candidate floats a deranged idea that would make some dictatorships blush https://t.co/bbCgTtwaJS
Truss’ camp also criticised the announcement for being “thin”, adding: “Mostly it’s a restatement of government policy. The few new proposals are superficial and unfunded with a risk of letting serious terrorists slip through the net by creating arbitrary targets.”
England’s victorious Euro 2022 player have demanded Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak commit to ensuring every young girl is able to play football at school.
In an open letter to both Tory leadership candidates, signed by all 23 members of the squad which beat Germany 2-1 after extra time in Sunday’s final, the Lionesses have called on the government “to make a huge difference”.
“On Sunday evening history was made. The dreams of 23 women came true. England became European Champions for the first time in history,” the players said.
“We are looking to the future. We want to create real change in this country and we are asking you, if you were to become Prime Minister on 5 September, to help us achieve that change.
“We want every young girl in the nation to be able to play football at school. Currently only 63% of girls can play football in PE lessons.”
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The players also asked that all girls be given access to a minimum of two hours a week PE.
“Not only should we be offering football to all girls, we also need to invest in and support female PE teachers too. Their role is crucial and we need to give them the resources to provide girls’ football sessions,” they added.
Both Truss and Sunak have committed to hosting a reception for the victorious Lionesses at No.10 if they are chosen to be the next prime minister.
Unlike other successful sporting teams, the winning England squad will not be honoured with a visit to Downing Street this week.
Boris Johnson was at the funeral of Northern Ireland peace process architect Lord Trimble on Monday and is now on holiday until Sunday.
The England men’s cricket team were invited to Downing Street following their win in the Ashes in 2005, as were the men’s Rugby World Cup victors in 2003.
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The women’s national rugby and cricket teams have also previously been honoured with receptions at No 10.
In addition to calling for the Lionesses to receive honours for their Euros win, Labour has urged the Government to capitalise on England’s success to ensure young girls who are now inspired to get playing can go on to become stars.
Lucy Powell, Labour’s shadow secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, accused the Tories of having a “terrible record of building on our sports stars’ success with a real and lasting legacy”.
