Tag Archives: ed miliband

Rishi Sunak Warms Of ‘Square One’ With Keir Starmer – And That Doesn’t Sound So Bad To Many

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Rishi Sunak has ditched a central plank of his general election strategy – opting for attacks on the “risks” posed by the Labour Party that has echoes a much-derided tweet from 2015.

The Tory leader has as recently as his party conference in October positioned himself as the “change” candidate, an attempt to draw a line under the last 14 years of Conservative rule. In his keynote address to conference, Sunak said the word “change” 30 times.

But since the weekend, the prime minister has changed his pitch – urging voters to “stick with the plan” and not choose Keir Starmer taking the country back to “square one”.

On Monday, Sunak told a PM Connect event in Lancashire: “The alternative is Keir Starmer, who would just take us back to square one.

“He has been leader of the opposition for four years now and in that time, he hasn’t said what he would do differently. That’s because he doesn’t have a plan. He just snipes from the sidelines instead.”

A Conservative source confirmed to Bloomberg that there has been an “evolution” in Sunak’s thinking.

It reported his new plan – to be a continuity candidate – follows the playbook used by Australian election strategist, Lynton Crosby, who masterminded the unlikely, narrow Tory election victory of 2015.

While the plan worked at the time, one aspect of highlighting the potential dangers of the opposition has become an online punchline. In May 2015, then prime minister David Cameron tweeted ahead of the vote: “Britain faces a simple and inescapable choice – stability and strong government with me, or chaos with Ed Miliband.” The joke is “or chaos with Ed Miliband” – real or imagined – was perhaps a better choice than the tumult brought about by Brexit, two more general elections and three prime ministers since.

And the “square one” strategy has already had some on social media suggesting it’s a good place to be.

Labour shadow cabinet minister Wes Streeting said: “Stick with 14 years of Conservative failure or vote for change with Labour. That’s the choice. Bring it on.”

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Rishi Sunak Blasted For Skipping Cop27 Climate Summit After Environmental Snubs

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Rishi Sunak’s climate credentials have come under question after backing out of attending the Cop27 climate summit days after giving the environment a smaller billing in his government.

The new prime minister has been accused of a “massive failure of leadership” after it was confirmed he will skip the United Nations conference in Egypt next month.

Liz Truss was set to attend the high-profile event in Sharm El-Sheikh but Downing Street said on Thursday that Sunak would instead focus on “pressing domestic commitments”.

No 10 also confirmed the demotion of the position of environment minister as Graham Stuart was reappointed to the role but stripped of his entitlement to attend cabinet.

Cop26 president Alok Sharma also lost his seat around Sunak’s cabinet this week.

Downing Street insisted the PM remains “absolutely committed” to supporting the climate conference hosted in Glasgow last year, denying he was downgrading the importance of tackling the climate crisis.

Last year when Sunak was chancellor, he arrived at the summit bearing a green version of the traditionally red budget briefcase wielded by the finance minister.

Labour’s shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband said: “This is a massive failure of climate leadership. We were the Cop26 hosts and now the UK prime minister isn’t even bothering to turn up to Cop27.

“What Rishi Sunak obviously fails to understand is that tackling the climate crisis isn’t just about our reputation and standing abroad, but the opportunities for lower bills, jobs, and energy security it can deliver at home.”

Green MP Caroline Lucas said “shame on” Sunak, adding: “The first test of leadership is to turn up. The new PM’s decision not to attend Cop27 makes a mockery of any government claims on continued climate leadership – and what a shameful way to end the UK’s Cop presidency.”

Rebecca Newsom, the head of politics at Greenpeace UK, said the move suggests Sunak does not take climate change “seriously enough”.

“The UK Government is supposed to hand over the Cop presidency to their Egyptian counterparts at next month’s summit. For Rishi Sunak not to show up is like a runner failing to turn up with the baton at a crucial stage of the relay,” she added.

A Downing Street spokeswoman said Sunak was focusing on domestic issues including preparations for the autumn budget, which has been delayed from Monday to November 17.

“The prime minister is not expected to attend Cop27 and this is due to other pressing domestic commitments including preparations for the autumn budget,” she told reporters.

She said the UK will be “fully represented” by Sharma and “other senior ministers”.

“We remain committed to net zero and to leading international and domestic action to tackle climate change. The UK is forging ahead of many other countries on net zero,” she said.

“We will obviously continue to work closely with Egypt as the hosts of Cop27 and to make sure that all countries are making progress on the historic commitments they made at the Glasgow climate pact.”

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Ed Miliband Reminds Us Starmer’s Driving Test Fail Could Have Been Worse: ‘It’s Hardly The Bacon Sandwich’

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Sir Keir Starmer on Tuesday (L) and shadow cabinet minister Ed Miliband

Ed Miliband was quick to defend Sir Keir Starmer over his HGV driving disaster by comparing it to one of his one embarrassing moments as Labour leader.

Miliband, now shadow business secretary, spoke to Sky’s Kay Burley about the Labour leader’s PR slip-up from Tuesday where he tried (and failed) to drive a lorry.

Burley said: “Certainly don’t want your leader to be an HGV driver – did you see what he did yesterday?”

Miliband replied: “Come on – it’s hardly the bacon sandwich is it, Kay?”

They laughed, but Burley pointed out that Starmer still failed his mock HGV driving test.

The shadow cabinet minister replied: “He was drawing attention to the fact that we need trained HGV drivers, it was all part of the plan.”

Burley has not been the only person to find Starmer’s driving attempts rather excruciating – especially when the driving instructor told him to “move to the left”, something Labour’s left-wing faction have long been trying to do with the party’s leader.

Journalist David Jack tweeted: “Who in Keir Starmer’s office thought that this was a good idea?”

However, Miliband’s own PR efforts as Labour leader were arguably more entertaining.

A photograph of him eating a bacon sandwich with an unusual expression on his face became an infamous internet meme in 2014 when he was campaigning for local elections.

It soon played a key part  in the criticism towards Miliband, as his opponents said it captured his awkwardness and inability to do ordinary tasks.

It was used on the front page of The Sun newspaper the day before the 2015 general election, which saw Labour lose 26 seats in Parliament.

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