Sir Keir Starmer has defended Labour’s controversial adverts attacking Rishi Sunak over the party’s stance on child sexual assaults.
The Labour leader said he will “make absolutely zero apologies for being blunt” following ads that claim the prime minister does not think child sex abusers should go to prison.
Mr Starmer said he would continue to criticise the Conservative’s record on crime “no matter how squeamish it might make some feel,” in an article published for the Daily Mail.
It comes as 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.
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.
Starmer’s team remains unrepentant, however – and is preparing to go further by accusing Mr Sunak of effectively “decriminalising” rape in a new online ad in the coming days.
