Sunak news – live: Starmer says PM being bullied by party as senior Tories slam Simon Clarke’s ‘foolish’ coup

Simon Clarke claims Rishi Sunak’s ‘uninspiring leadership is the main obstacle to our recovery’

Britain under Tories is ‘longest episode of Eastenders ever,’ says Keir Starmer

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has claimed Rishi Sunak is being “bullied” by his own MPs and he used PMQs to mock the prime minister after a fresh Tory civil war erupted.

Sir Keir said Mr Sunak was “endlessly” fighting with his own party and that the more “they slag him off behind his back, the louder they cheer in here”.

It comes after Liz Truss ally Sir Simon Clarke claimed the Conservative Party could face “extinction” unless the prime minister resigns.

Sir Simon, who served in the Treasury under Mr Sunak, made the intervention in the Daily Telegraph to urge his colleagues to sack the PM ahead of the looming general election, arguing he “has sadly gone from asset to anchor”.

Tory MPs have rounded on Sir Simon’s attempted coup, branding his move against Mr Sunak as “foolish” and “facile”. A senior Conservative MP told The Independent Sir Simon was “flying a kite that’s already broken” and they did not expect fellow right-wingers to join his rebellion.

However, the Conservative Democratic Organisation – led by allies of former prime minister Boris Johnson – are demanding a leadership vote for fear of “electoral disaster”.

Key Points

• Starmer: Sunak being ‘bullied’ by Tories who ‘slag him off behind his back’ - PMQs
• Simon Clarke warns of election massacre unless Rishi Sunak resigns
• Senior Tories reject Clarke’s calls for Sunak to resign
• Boris-backing group back Simon Clarke’s call

[24 January 2024 21:01 · Tara Cobham]

Watch: ‘Foolish’ for Tory party to indulge in infighting, says James Cleverly

[24 January 2024 22:00 · Tara Cobham]

Watch: No one likes the guy shouting ‘iceberg’, says Tory rebel Simon Clarke

[24 January 2024 23:00 · Tara Cobham]

It is Starmer who ‘doesn’t get Britain’s values’, says PM

The Prime Minister said it is Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer who “doesn’t get Britain’s values”.

Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said: “The Prime Minister has had quite a week. From endlessly fighting with his own MPs to collapsing in laughter when he was asked by a member of the public about NHS waiting lists.”

After loud protest from the Tory benches, Sir Keir continued: “I love quaint tradition where the more they slag him off behind his back the (louder) they cheer in here.”

He said Mr Sunak has “accidentally” recorded a “candid video for Nigel Farage”, adding: “The only thing missing from that punishing schedule is any sort of governing or leadership. So was he surprised to see one of his own MPs say that he doesn’t get what Britain needs and he’s not listening to what people want?”

Rishi Sunak said: “He talks about what Britain needs, what Britain wants, what Britain values. This from a man who takes the knee, who wanted to abolish the monarchy, who still doesn’t know what a woman is, and who just this week, one of his frontbenchers, said that they backed teaching divisive white privilege in our schools.

“Looking at his record, it’s crystal clear which one of us doesn’t get Britain’s values.”

[25 January 2024 00:00 · Tara Cobham]

Is the West really looking at a Third World War?

The chief of the general staff and head of the army, General Sir Patrick Sanders, has given a valedictory address in which he describes the current population of the UK as a “pre-war generation”, and one that must now get ready to take “preparatory steps to enable placing our societies on a war footing”.

A “national mobilisation” against Vladimir Putin’s Russia is the sort of language that would have been unthinkable, if not alarmist or satirical, only a few years ago, but the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and a consistently bellicose stance from the Kremlin has suddenly made such notions mainstream.

Read more here:

[25 January 2024 01:00 · Tara Cobham]

PM ‘spouts so much nonsense no wonder Tory MPs are giving up on him’, says Starmer

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the prime minister “spouts so much nonsense no wonder they [Tory MPs] are giving up on him”.

He added Rishi Sunak is insisting “everything is fine, people should be grateful to him.

“The trouble is no one is buying it. Does he actually understand why his own MPs say he doesn’t understand Britain and that he is an obstacle to recovery?”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “He calls it nonsense but these are his positions… he chose to represent a now proscribed terrorist group, he chose to campaign against the deportation of foreign national offenders, just like he chose to serve (Jeremy Corbyn).

“That’s his record, those are his values, and that is exactly how he should be judged.”

[25 January 2024 02:00 · Tara Cobham]

Sunak hands councils £600m in emergency bailout amid cash crisis

Local authorities in England are to receive an emergency bailout from Rishi Sunak’s government following warnings that many councils are close to bankruptcy.

Communities secretary Michael Gove said upper tier councils will be handed an additional £600m, mostly for children’s and adult social care.

The cabinet minister said £500m would go on enabling councils to provide “crucial social care services for their local communities, particularly children”.

Adam Forrest, Political Correspondent reports:

[25 January 2024 03:00 · Tara Cobham]

Watch: Tory rebel Simon Clarke ‘completely wrong’ to call for Sunak to go, says minister

[25 January 2024 04:00 · Tara Cobham]

‘It is behind him that the fire is coming in,’ Sunak says of Starmer

Rishi Sunak suggested shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves was responsible for branding Labour’s £28 billion green investment pledge as an albatross “around their neck” after facing claims he was being bullied by his own MPs.

Sir Keir Starmer told the Commons: “It is not the side lines, it is behind him that the fire is coming in. He can try and blame the Labour Party all he wants, the difference is I have changed my party, he is bullied by his party.

“Has he found the time in his busy schedule to work out why thousands of parents are being told by their nurseries that they won’t get free childcare that he promised them?”

After Sir Lindsay Hoyle called for order from the shouting Labour benches, Mr Sunak said: “We do know that he is committed to his 2030 decarbonisation promise, which they say will cost £28 billion but I was reading about it this week.

“He says he has changed the party, one of his team called it an albatross hanging around their neck, that might have been the shadow chancellor maybe, but he said they are doubling down on it.

“All this ahead of a crunch meeting we are told this week for them to work out how they are going to pay for it. I can save them some time because we all know the answer, higher taxes for the British people.”

[25 January 2024 05:00 · Tara Cobham]

Watch: Sunak sends ‘best wishes’ to King and Princess of Wales during PMQs

[25 January 2024 06:00 · Tara Cobham]

‘Foolish’ for Tory party to indulge in infighting, says James Cleverly

James Cleverly has said it would be “foolish” for the Tory party to indulge in infighting following Sir Simon Clarke’s call for Rishi Sunak to be replaced.

“I know Simon very well, I like him and respect him. I could not disagree with him more on this particular issue,” the home secretary said, defending the prime minister.

Mr Cleverly added that Mr Sunak was succeeding in his efforts to reduce inflation and cut the number of people arriving on small boats.

Oliver Browning reports: