‘Non-racist’ attack ad: Starmer defends Sunak’s claim doesn’t want child molesters jailed | Political news

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The Labor leader again defended a series of attack announcements, while claiming the Prime Minister is ‘sort of smiling through the cost of living crisis without understanding the real impact’.

By Andy Hayes, Journalist

Sunday, April 30, 2023 1:28 a.m., United Kingdom

Sir Keir Starmer has denied that a Labor attack advert targeting Rishi Sunak is racist.

A series of recent adverts, which have been branded “gutter politics” and criticized by some of Labor’s own MPs, have personally targeted the Prime Minister.

In an interview with Sky News, Sophy Ridge asked the party leader about one in particular.

He asks, “Do you think adults convicted of child molestation should go to jail?”

He adds, in all caps: “Rishi Sunak doesn’t.”

Labor cited Justice Department data showing that 4,500 adults convicted of child sex acts have avoided jail time since the Tories came to power in 2010.

Rishi Sunak was first elected as an MP in 2015.

Asked if the announcement matched Sir Keir’s view of the Prime Minister, he said: ‘I think if he thought they should go to jail he would do something about it .”

He added: “I stand by the announcement. I think as Prime Minister you take responsibility for what is going on in your criminal justice system. He does not take responsibility for it.”

When asked if he took personal responsibility for every child molester who escaped from prison when he led the prosecution as Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), he said he took “full responsibility for every decision” when he was DPP.

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Ridge went on to ask, “We know that far-right groups have weaponized sex abuse by Asian grooming gangs – a very small minority of Asians.

“Your attack ad accuses Britain’s first ever Prime Minister of Asia of not thinking child sex offenders should go to jail. Is that racist?”

Sir Keir replied: “No. There is a huge under-analysis of the numbers here, and I looked at this when I was Director of Public Prosecutions. The vast majority of sexual offenses against children are not committed by people of Asian descent or whatever.”

Ridge replied, “Absolutely. So it’s not racist?”

“No, of course not. Of course not,” Sir Keir replied.

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NHS ‘on his face’

In a wide-ranging conversation, Sir Keir also said the Prime Minister is ‘sort of smiling through the cost of living crisis without understanding the real impact of it’.

And he said that according to his wife, who works in the NHS, the health service is not so much on its knees as “on its face”.

Of the pensioners he met, who Sir Keir said ‘can’t make ends meet’, he said: ‘I don’t think the Prime Minister understands’.

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And speaking of the latest nurses’ strike, which begins later today, Sir Keir said: “I don’t want these strikes to continue. I don’t think anyone will. I don’t think nurses will. do. But I do. I think the government has completely screwed them up.”

These strikes are different from previous ones due to a lack of “waivers” – or exemptions – which means emergency services, intensive care and cancer care will be affected.

Hospitals in some areas are bracing for “exceptionally low” staffing levels and Great Ormond Street Hospital chief executive Matthew Shaw said he was “incredibly grateful” after staff and the Royal College of Nursing ( RCN) granted “security exemptions”.

Pushed repeatedly on the question of whether it was right for the MRC to call for a stoppage without derogations, Sir Keir did not respond.

When asked if the lack of waivers was a mistake, he repeated his original answer twice, saying: “I don’t want to see the strikes continue.”

As for local elections, Ridge said the Conservatives predicted the loss of 1,000 seats.

Sir Keir commented: “If they are, I find it amazing”, adding that it seemed to him “just the management of expectations”.

You can catch the full interview on Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Sky News at 8.30am.

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