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The Labour Party has faced universal condemnation for publishing an advert attacking Rishi Sunak and suggesting the prime minister wants to spare child sex abusers from prison.
Figures across the political spectrum hit out at “gutter politics” after the party posted the ad on Twitter to argue Labour is the “party of law and order”.
The tweet carries an image that states: “Do you think adults convicted of sexually assaulting children should go to prison? Rishi Sunak doesn’t.” It includes a photo of the PM and his signature.
The ad also points to apparent Ministry of Justice figures suggesting 4,500 people convicted of sexually assaulting children under-16 escaped jail “under the Tories”. This presumably means since 2010 – five years before Sunak became an MP, let alone prime minister.
Labour is the party of law and order. pic.twitter.com/EP6VXToK9z
— The Labour Party (@UKLabour) April 6, 2023
Former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell led the chorus of criticism.
He wrote on Twitter: “This is not the sort of politics a Labour Party, confident of its own values and preparing to govern, should be engaged in. I say to the people who have taken the decision to publish this ad, please withdraw it. We, the Labour Party, are better than this.”
Tory MP Tobias Ellwood described the ad as “appalling” and claimed it threatened to undermine the democratic process, adding: “We should be better than this. I’ve called it out on my own side for stooping low and do so again now.”
SNP MP John Nicolson said: “This is absolutely nauseating. Politics cheapened and debased. The Labour Party wants to win, of course, but like this?”
Many other figures on the left and right of politics were of a similar mind, calling the advert “idiotic”, “truly appalling” and a “new low in British political attack ads”.
A number pointed to how the Tories had been criticised over then prime minister Boris Johnson accusing Labour leader Keir Starmer of failing to prosecute Jimmy Savile while director of public prosecutions.
Starmer would later blame Johnson’s words for a mob surrounding him and accusing him of “protecting paedophiles”.
This is one of the worst political adverts in recent UK history and not the first time Labour has pandered to prejudice in the hope of electoral gain. https://t.co/xQyUzUPBD7
— George Eaton (@georgeeaton) April 6, 2023
Is this really the right thing to say? Not long ago Labour were quite rightly complaining when Starmer was accused of ignoring Savile. https://t.co/JSi2Nwibp5
— Adil Ray OBE (@adilray) April 6, 2023
And take this down @UKLabour.
Gutter politics. https://t.co/YCcDlzjqQO
— Kevin Maguire (@Kevin_Maguire) April 6, 2023
Idiotic line by Labour.
Sunak and his party have devastated the criminal justice system through gleeful defunding of its constituent parts, causing record backlogs and delays of years.
But he is not responsible for sentences imposed in a relatively small number of cases. https://t.co/AVU0ONqZEk
— The Secret Barrister (@BarristerSecret) April 6, 2023
Just horrible. What has happened to you? 🤷♀️
— India Willoughby (@IndiaWilloughby) April 6, 2023
1) If the Tories had mocked up this ad with the photo of an Asian Labour MP, they'd be decried as racist.
2) Next time the right hit Keir Starmer with the Jimmy Savile smears, Labour will not have a leg to stand on re: playing fair. https://t.co/FQk2Kb4z1y
— Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) April 6, 2023
Ugh, what dreadful messaging. Please don't go down this road, @UKLabour. https://t.co/ibCPI2igDj
— Jonathan Coe (@jonathancoe) April 6, 2023
Labour’s latest attack ad on @RishiSunak is truly appalling. Nothing can justify it and I assume it will be deleted.
Like the grooming gangs/Savile memes of the far right going mainstream, this stuff cheapens our politics.— Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) April 6, 2023
Dog whistle met by dog whistle
Disgraceful comments by Braverman over the weekend has triggered an appalling fight into the gutter
At what point are we going to talk about the victims ?
Where is the protection for the half million kids sexually exploited in our country every yr https://t.co/Ll89rqAMIF— Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) April 6, 2023
A new low in British political attack ads. Just as I criticised Rishi Sunak for saying Keir Starmer was the 'friend of people traffickers', I think this is a disgrace too. I assume these people who didn't get sent to prison wouldn't have done under Blair and Brown either. https://t.co/abSZyobzsh
— Iain Dale ⚒️🇺🇦 (@IainDale) April 6, 2023
at the stage of politics where everyone's just calling each other pedophiles https://t.co/VQqbaoBqG5
— HK (@HKesvani) April 6, 2023
It comes amid heightened efforts by Labour and the Tories to pitch themselves as the party of law and order in the run-up to local elections.
Both main parties have put crime-fighting plans at the heart of their campaigns to snap up votes on May 4.
Starmer repeated his promise to halve levels of violence against women and girls as he met with charities supporting victims in Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, earlier on Thursday.
Meanwhile Sunak has announced a crackdown on grooming gangs to protect young women and girls from sexual abuse, with measures including a new police taskforce of specialist officers and the collection of ethnicity data.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
