Tories ‘dancing to tune’ set by Farage
Rishi Sunak’s Conservatives are dancing to a tune set by Nigel Farage, Sir Keir Starmer has claimed.
The Labour leader used his headline Commons slot at Prime Minister’s Questions to suggest the governing party is no “longer the Tories your parents voted for” and has become the “political wing of the Flat Earth Society”, as he mocked former prime minister Liz Truss.
But Mr Sunak hit back, drawingattentiontolabour’srecord on antisemitism ahead of today’s Rochdale by-election.
Labour pulled support for its candidate, Azhar Ali, after reports emerged that he had blamed “people in the media from certain Jewish quarters” for the suspension of a pro-palestinian MP.
Sir Keir said: “Tory MPS spent last week claiming that Britain was being run by a shadowy cabal made up of activists, the deep state and, most chillingly of all, the Financial Times.
“At what point did his party give up on governing and become the political wing of the Flat Earth Society?”
The Labour leader questioned why Mr Sunak is allowing former prime minister Ms Truss to remain a Conservative MP, telling the Commons: “His predecessor spent last week in America trying to flog her new book. In search of fame and wealth, she’s taken to slagging off…”
Amid heckling, Sir Keir continued: “They made her prime minister, now they can’t bear talking about her. In search of
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak hits back at Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during yesterday’s Prime Minister’s Questions fame and wealth, she’s taken to slagging off Britain at every opportunity.
“She claimed that, as prime minister, she was sabotaged by the deep state. Why is he allowing her to stand as a Tory MP at the next election?”
Mrsunakreplied:“ifhewants to talk about former leaders and predecessors, the whole country knows his record because he sat there while antisemitism ran rife in his party and not once but twice backed a man who called Hamas friends.”
Sir Keir pressed the Prime Minister to reveal whether former Ukip and Brexit Party leader Mr Farage would be joining the Conservatives, after Ms Truss described him as the “mantorestorethetoryparty”.
But Mr Sunak would not be drawn into answering, and celebrated the Conservatives’ record of diversity among its leaders.
“This diverse Tory Party just welcomed Nigel Farage,” Sir Keir hit back, to cries of “What?” from Tory backbenchers.
The Labour leader added: “This is the same Nigel Farage who said he agreed with the basic premise of Enoch Powell’s‘riversofblood’speech,and bemoaned the influence of the ‘Jewish lobby’.
“So is the Prime Minister simply too scared to stand up to the gaggleoftorymps,whomoonlight as GB News presenters, or does he genuinely think Nigel Farage shares the ideals and values of the Tory Party?”
Mr Sunak said: “He wants to talk about values, but tomorrow in Rochdale the people will have the choice of three former Labour candidates, two of which are antisemites.”
Does he genuinely think Nigel Farage shares the ideals and values of the Tory Party? Sir Keir Starmer