Ex-UK PM, in first appearance, takes jab at Starmer, disdains Sunak

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
3 Jul 2024 13:28

The former home secretary argues that voters abandoned the Tories because they failed “to cut immigration or tax or deal with the net zero and woke policies we have presided over for 14 years."

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Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson, delivers a speech at a Conservative Party campaign event at the National Army Museum in London, Tuesday, July 2, 2024. (AP)

Less than 48 hours before voters head to the polls, Boris Johnson made his first and only appearance ahead of the general elections, with no mention of Rishi Sunak's performance as Prime Minister of the UK.

During an unexpected appearance at a Tory rally in Chelsea, the former Prime Minister pointed fingers at Keir Starmer for trying to “usher in the most leftwing Labour government since the war,” adding that he would raise taxes and that he would fail to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Johnson said that it was "way past Keir Starmer's bedtime," thanking everyone who stayed for the late event at the National Army Museum and the sole reference to Sunak was to thank him for his invitation.

Commenting on the Labour Party, he said, “They can achieve nothing in this election except to usher in the most leftwing government since the war with a huge majority, and we must not let it happen.”

He added, “Don’t let the Putinistas deliver the Corbynistas. Don’t let Putin’s pet parrots give this entire country psittacosis – which is a disease you get, by the way, from cosying up to pet parrots. If you want to protect our democracy and our economy and keep this country strong abroad by spending 2.5% of our GDP on defence, which Labour still refuses to, then you know what to do, don’t you, everybody.”

During his speech, Johnson praised his own policies implemented when he was in office and did not mention those of Sunak.

After Johnson left, Sunak appeared on stage and said, “Isn’t it great to have our Conservative family united, my friends? Just think, it was the other day when Keir Starmer was saying that Jeremy Corbyn would make a better prime minister than Boris.”

The Liberal Democrats reacted to Johnson's appearance as an “insult to everyone who made heartbreaking sacrifices during the pandemic”.

Failed 'woke' policies

Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary and Tory cabinet minister, admitted what seemed like a defeat on the Today program.

"I totally accept that, where the polls are at the moment, means that tomorrow is likely to see the largest Labour landslide majority, the largest majority that this country has ever seen. Much bigger than 1997, bigger even than the National government in 1931," he said.

Stride added, "What, therefore, matters now is what kind of opposition do we have, what kind of ability to scrutinise government is there within parliament."

In the Daily Telegraph, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman argued that voters abandoned the Tories because they failed "to cut immigration or tax or deal with the net zero and woke policies we have presided over for 14 years."

Furthermore, she persisted in criticizing the Tories for taking money from its largest donor and UK businessman Frank Hester after The Guardian disclosed that he had made remarks about Diane Abbott during a confidential staff meeting that were universally denounced as racist.

"Reform demonstrably failed to vet its candidates properly and these people should be nowhere near public life. I’ve been on the receiving end of racism myself and it’s right that the PM called it out. But cries of hurt and anger look less powerful when the Conservative Party was perfectly happy to take the money from Frank Hester," she said.

"Remarks about hating black women were glossed over in the name of filling our party coffers. I don’t follow the logic. Nor do the voters. Whatever “the smartest men in the room” might privately think, the public are not in fact mugs," she noted.

Most Tories condemned Hester's reported racist comments, but almost none of them called to stop taking funds from him despite the uproar against him.

Sunak officially announced that the upcoming general election in the country is scheduled for July 4.

"Earlier today I spoke with his majesty the King to request the dissolution of parliament. The King has granted me this request and we will have a general election on the 4th of July," Sunak said in a statement outside 10 Downing Street.