PM appears on furiously as Starmer mocks Tories ‘slagging him off behind again’
Rishi Sunak appeared on furiously at PMQs as Keir Starmer ruthlessly mocked Tory MPs “slagging him off behind his back” whereas cheering him within the chamber.
With the Tories tearing chunks out of one another as they argued whether or not Mr Sunak must be ousted, the Labour chief hit out on the countless chaos.
Facing jeers from Tory MPs, he mentioned: “I love this quaint tradition where the more they [Tory MPs] slag him off behind his back the louder they cheer in here.” The PM additionally tried to criticise the Labour chief’s former authorized profession as Director of Public Prosecutions earlier than being elected to the Commons.
But in a brutal swipe, Mr Starmer mentioned: “In 2008 I was the Director of Public Prosecutions putting terrorists and murderers in jail. He was making millions betting the misery of working people during the financial crisis.”
He added: “We have seen this story time and time again with this lot, party first, country second. Safely ensconced in Westminster they get down to the real business of fighting each other to death. The country is forced to endure their division and chaos, the longest episode of Eastenders ever put to movie.”
The newest bout of Tory infighting got here after former Cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke referred to as on his colleagues to oust “uninspiring” Mr Sunak. In a blistering assault on the PM’s authority, Sir Simon mentioned Mr Sunak had “gone from asset to anchor”. He added: “The unvarnished truth is that Rishi Sunak is leading the Conservatives into an election where we will be massacred.
“I know many MPs are afraid another change of leader would look ridiculous. But what could be more ridiculous than meekly sleepwalking towards an avoidable annihilation because we were not willing to listen to what the public are telling us so clearly?”
In response to the comments, Tory MPs began trading insults as supporters of the PM labelled him “self-indulgent”, “facile”, “divisive” and “unwise”. But Sir Simon hit back: “Personal insults don’t change the facts.” He added: “Every Conservative MP will need to live with the decision they make in the coming days for the rest of their lives… Look at the polls.”
David Davis, the former Cabinet minister, admitted: “This is getting silly.” He went on: “The party and the country are sick and tired of MPs putting their own leadership ambitions ahead of the UK’s best interests.” Conor Burns suggested the Tory rebels “should shut up or shove off”.
