Rishi Sunak launched his General Election campaign a little under a week ago – but there has been no shortage of gaffes and blunders.
From being drenched outside No10 as he surprised the nation with an early vote, to drawing inevitable comparisons to a “sinking ship” as he visited Belfast’s Titanic Quarter, the PM’s campaign hasn’t quite gone according to plan.
With five weeks still to go until the country heads to the polls on July 4, Tory aides will be praying to avoid more PR slip-ups as they desperately attempt to narrow the gap with Keir Starmer’s Labour.
Here The Mirror looks at the some of the best gaffes and blunders so far.
Soggy start outside No10
Rishi Sunak campaign got off to a soggy start as he announced the date of the General Election last week in the pouring rain with no brolly. Coupled with New Labour’s election anthem – Things Can Only Get Better – drowning out his speech, headline writers went for: “Things Can Only Get Wetter”.
Keir Starmer has since mocked the PM, saying it was “farcical” for someone who had been “standing in the rain without an umbrella” to claim he was the only person with a plan.
Welsh brewery blunder
On the first day of the General Election campaign the PM suffered an awkward encounter as he met brewery staff in Barry, South Wales. He attempted to make small talk with workers and asked them if they were looking forward to “all the football” later this summer as a potential source of revenue. But one worker responded quickly pointing out that Wales had not qualified for the Euro 2024 tournament.
(
AP)
Mr Sunak awkwardly laughed, as he scrambled to say: “It’ll get people out. There will be people coming. It’ll be a good summer of sport.”
Random questioner turns out to be Tory councillor
In one of his first Q&A events at a distribution centre in Derbyshire, the PM took questions from supposedly random workers. But it later emerged one man quizzing him on the delayed Rwanda deportation scheme was actually a Tory councillor. Journalists and TV viewers were not made aware that the audience member was Dr Ross Hills – a Leicestershire councillor.
A Labour Party spokesman said at the time: “Rishi Sunak spent months dodging the verdict of voters and even now he’s still running scared.”
‘Sinking ship’ comparisons at Belfast’s Titanic Quarter
As Tory MPs announced their exit from the Commons in record numbers, the PM’s aides thought it was a good idea for him to visit Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. A Belfast Live reporter pointed out the doomed vessel was built and designed nearby, adding: “Are you captaining a sinking ship going into this election?”
A clearly-irritated Mr Sunak replied: “If you look at what’s happened over the past few weeks, you can see our plan is working.”A Labour source told The Mirror: “Sorry: there is no Labour source quote that can make this more ridiculous than it already is”.”
Exit sign PR slip-up
Chatting to journalists on a flight to a campaign event two days into the election campaign, the PM suffered an unfortunate PR slip-up. Photographers captured the Tory leader, whose party is trailing Labour in the national polls, standing underneath an exit sign.
(
POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
National service chaos
Plans to introduce a mandatory National Service scheme for 18-year-olds descended into a farce as Tory Ministers appeared unsure of the details. A leaked Tory briefing paper seen by The Mirror on the policy did not rule out arresting youngsters if they fail to take part – forcing ministers to quickly backtrack.
Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker even vented his frustration amid questions over the impact of the PM’s plan on Northern Ireland and said the policy had been “sprung” on candidates. Just days earlier, Ministry of Defence (MoD) minister Andrew Murrison had said there were no plans to bring in National Service.
Minister on the campaign trail – in Greece
Tory Minister Mr Baker was accused of giving up after jetting off to Greece instead of campaigning in his marginal constituency. Speaking to The Mirror from Vasiliki, where temperatures were soaring to 28C, Mr Baker admitted that some might have a problem with him jetting away.
The Minister defended his decision not to cancel his holiday plans, stating: “The Prime Minister told everyone we could go on holiday and then called a snap election. So I’ve chosen to do my campaign work in Greece.”
Tory MP departing shot
Departing Tory MP Lucy Allan quit the party in the first week of the General Election – so she could endorse Reform UK’s candidate in her own seat. Ms Allan gave her backing to Alan Adams, who is standing for the rival party in Telford.
Tory HQ scrambled to tell journalists they had suspended her with “immediate effect”. But Ms Allan said she had already resigned from the party.
Showing off ‘shocking’ football skills
Rishi Sunak’s turbulent start to the General Election campaign has continued as he was filmed dribbling though cones. The PM’s football skills were branded “shocking” by an onlooker, who quipped: “He’s as good at football as he is at being Prime Minister.”
(
PA)
Youngsters looked on as the PM nearly tripped over the ball. A smiling Mr Sunak – a fan of Southampton FC, who were promoted to the Premier League on Sunday – was then shown shaking hands with young footballers.
Forced to deny he will ‘disappear to California’
The PM was forced to dismiss suggestions from a former Tory Minister that he will “disappear to California” if the Conservatives lose the General Election.
Tory peer Zac Goldsmith posted on X: “The hope is that when Sunak disappears off to California in a few weeks there are at least some decent MPs left around which to rebuild.” Mr Sunak had to respond: “It’s simply not true. I mean, it’s just simply not true.”
PM can’t name a ‘rip-off’ course he’ll axe
Rishi Sunak failed to name an underperforming university course that would be axed under a Tory pledge to crack down on “rip-off degrees”. Mr Sunak unveiled plans to create 100,000 more apprenticeships a year by shutting down the worst-performing courses as he battles to stay in No10.
But he was unable to name a single degree that would face the chop under his latest wheeze when pressed by journalists on the campaign trail.