Tag Archives: Politics

‘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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This Is How Brits Really Think The Tories Have Changed UK Life Over The Last 14 Years

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Most Brits think the Conservatives have made life worse – in many ways – since getting into power in 2010, a new poll has found.

In yet another blow to PM Rishi Sunak as his campaign continues to flounder, YouGov has revealed that that two thirds (67%) of Brits disapprove of the government’s record.

Three quarters (73%) think the UK is a worse place than it was 13 years ago, too – and that includes a majority (59%) of 2019 Tory voters.

In fact, even 61-68% of those planning to vote Tory in the next election agreed.

Of the 2,040 adults polled between 29 and 30 May, only 8% think the UK is better now, and 11% think life is pretty much the same.

YouGov also asked participants what they thought about how the government has handled 21 different topics, from social issues to healthcare.

The respondents were most united in their reaction to how the cost of living has changed over the last 14 years – 85% said the Tories had made it worse.

This was closely followed by the NHS, which 84% thought had worsened under the Conservatives.

The poll offered similarly bleak reactions over what has happened to immigration system and the economy in the last decade and a half with 78% saying both areas had worsened.

This will be an especially disappointing result for those in the Conservative headquarters considering the party has been pledging to reduce the number of migrants since David Cameron got into office.

The party has often portrayed itself as the one which is best at managing the economy, too – but it seems that reputation is now in tatters.

In fact, more than half of participants thought the Tories had made 15 of the 21 issues worse – including housing, crime and policing, Britain’s standing in the world and standards in public life.

A majority also had a poor opinion of what’s happened to the health of British democracy, the tax system, transport, schools, the state of the armed forces, the welfare system and local government services.

More than half (57%) said they thought Rishi Sunak was a poor or terrible prime minister, and only 13% thought he was a great or a good one.

YouGov is not the only one predicting a pretty bleak turnout for Sunak at next month’s election, either.

On Tuesday, Survation’s mega poll predicted the Conservatives face electoral wipeout at the general election, with just 71 MPs in a potentially “extinction level event” ahead.

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Piers Morgan Pinpoints Exactly How Brexit Is The ‘Great Unmentionable’ In This Election

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Commentator Piers Morgan called out politicians for omitting Brexit from their election campaigns last night.

While critiquing the first leadership debate of the election so far, Morgan told BBC Newsnight: “The great unmentionable in all this is Brexit. Nobody is talking about Brexit.

“Eight years after that referendum, I was someone who voted Remain but was adamant that you can’t just have another referendum immediately.”

The former TalkTV host said while he thought the initial “re-moaning was ridiculous”, he thinks it is now time to consider voting on the topic again.

Morgan said: “After eight years, given the state of the supposed ‘control’ of our borders, which is terrible, and given the self-harming effect on our economy, surely it’s time that Labour had an honest conversation about where the polling is on Brexit, which is where most people in this country would like another referendum, to see if they would like what they’ve been given.”

Although the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016, the full effects of our departure are just being felt.

The Office for Budget Responsibility has said Brexit has caused a 4% hit to the economy – and the full impact is expected be felt for years to come.

Migration numbers also remain exceptionally high.

Labour called for another referendum on the UK’s EU membership back in 2019, before the country had officially left the trading bloc.

At the time, Jeremy Corbyn was the leader of the opposition and parliament was deadlocked over the terms of the withdrawal agreement.

Corbyn said he wanted to stop “no deal” or a “damaging Tory Brexit”.

Since then, Corbyn has lost the Labour whip and the party’s leader Keir Starmer – who is widely expected to win the next election, according to the polls – said last September there is no case for returning to the EU.

He has stayed quiet on the topic ever since.

The Conservatives have not mentioned Brexit at all, despite spending the whole of the 2019 general election arguing that they were the ones who “got Brexit done”.

However, the topic is only more likely to rear its head now Chief Brexiter Nigel Farage has just returned to frontline politics.

To great fanfare, he announced this week that his eighth attempt to run for parliament in Clacton as the new Reform UK leader.

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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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Diane Abbott Confirmed As Labour Candidate For General Election

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Diane Abbott has been formally confirmed as a Labour candidate for the general election, following a meeting of the party’s ruling National Executive Committee.

The veteran left-winger will be allowed to stand for re-election in Hackney North and Stoke Newington, the seat she has held since 1987.

Abbott, Britain’s first black female MP, was embroiled in a bitter row over whether she would be allowed to stand.

She was suspended by Labour last year for suggesting that Jewish, Irish and Traveller people were not subject to racism “all their lives”.

She apologised, withdrew the comments and was eventually given the Labour whip back last week.

But party sources briefed The Times that Labour intended to block Abbott from seeking election for the party.

This triggered a widespread and vocal backlash from her supporters, with Abbott accusing Keir Starmer of engineering a “cull of leftwingers”.

Starmer U-turned on Friday by saying Abbott was “free” to be a Labour general election candidate and she later confirmed that she planned to do so.

Labour’s ruling NEC met on Tuesday to confirm the candidates for the election, with Sky News reporting Abbott was on the list rubber-stamped.

In a further sign of the bad blood between Starmer and Abbott, on Sunday Abbott tweeted “more lies from Starmer” above an article in which he claimed to have “more respect” for her than she realises.

The row over whether Abbott would be allowed to stand overshadowed much of the start of Labour’s election campaign.

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Donald Trump Reveals How Melania Reacted To His Conviction In The Hush Money Trial

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Former US President Donald Trump said his wife, Melania Trump, is doing “fine” after a jury found him guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in his criminal hush money trial in New York last week.

In an interview with Fox & Friends Weekend that aired on Sunday, the former president spoke about how his family is processing the news of his conviction.

“I think in many ways it’s tougher on them than it is on me,” he said. “They’re good people, all of them, everyone, everyone. I have a wonderful wife who has to listen to this stuff all the time. They do that for this reason.”

Trump added that while the former first lady has taken the news in stride, it’s still tough for her.

“She’s fine, but I think it’s very hard for her,” he said. “I mean, she’s fine, but you know she has to read all this crap.”

Trump has decried his conviction and pledged to appeal it.

While other family members, including Ivanka Trump, who had previously stayed silent about the proceedings, came out with a supportive message for her father following his guilty verdict, Melania Trump has not made any public statements or posts on her personal social media accounts since Thursday.

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The trial centers around a $130,000 payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election to keep quiet about her story about their alleged affair. Trump denies the affair.

The proceedings brought up embarrassing details about the former president and his relationship with his wife.

Michael Cohen, the former president’s personal lawyer and “fixer,” who was the prosecution’s star witness, told the court Trump wasn’t concerned about how his wife would react to Daniels going public with her story.

“He wasn’t thinking about Melania,” Cohen said. “This was all about the campaign.”

Meanwhile, Daniels told the court her affair with Trump started shortly after Melania Trump gave birth to the couple’s son, Barron.

Daniels also recalled Donald Trump told her at the time that he and Melania Trump slept in separate bedrooms.

In an interview with the Daily Mirror published Sunday, Daniels urged Melania Trump to leave the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

“I don’t know what their agreement may or may not be, but Melania needs to leave him,” Daniels said. “Not because of what he did with me or other women but because he is a convicted felon.”

Melania Trump has kept a low profile since the end of her husband’s administration, making rare public appearances as Donald Trump campaigns for the White House. She also did not show up at the Manhattan courthouse during the trial, even as other family members and allies joined Trump in court.

However, The New York Times reported Melania Trump privately called the trial “a disgrace” amounting to election interference.

Donald Trump’s sentencing hearing has been set for July 11.

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