Starmer Faces Uprising Over Ad Campaign Against Sunak

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is facing a furious backlash from his own MPs about the “ugly and degrading” attack ads that claim Rishi Sunak does not think child sex abusers should go to prison.

- ADAM FORREST

Labour MPs told The Independent they had personally complained to their leader about the Twitter ads - warning him that it will damage the party's standing in "blue wall" seats in the south of England.

It comes as shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper distanced herself from the Twitter graphic on child sex abusers - with her team making clear she was not consulted about the ad devised by Labour strategists.

However, Sir Keir has defied critics and said he makes "absolutely zero apologies" for the campaign, regardless of how "squeamish" it makes people. "Rishi Sunak and successive Tory governments have let criminals get away with it because they don't get it," he wrote in The Daily Mail.

"They have never lived in those neighbourhoods, they don't understand people's lives, they have never walked in those shoes. I have. I make absolutely zero apologies for being blunt about this. I stand by every word Labour has said on the subject, no matter how squeamish it might make some feel. When 4,500 child abusers avoid prison, people don't want more excuses from politicians: they want answers."

And Sir Keir's team also remains unrepentant and is preparing to go further by accusing Mr Sunak of effectively “decriminalising” rape in a new online ad in the coming days. Another report says a further campaign will accuse Mr Sunak of "crashing the economy".

The deepening row comes as:

Fingers were pointed at shadow justice secretary Steve Reed over the now-notorious ad about child sex abusers.

Ex-Labour home secretary Jack Straw defended Sir Keir saying the Tories "squeal like stuck pigs" when on the receiving end of attacks.

A senior Tory polling guru warned Sunak not to "retaliate" and jeopardise his reputation as a "nice guy".