Starmer says PM being bullied by party as senior Tories slam Clarke’s ‘foolish’ coup

Sir Keir Starmer has said Britain under the Tories is the “longest episode of EastEnders ever.”

Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, 24 January, the Labour leader said: “Safely ensconced in Westminster they get down to the real business of fighting each other to death. The country forced to endure their division and chaos, the longest episode of Eastenders ever put to film.”

The Conservative Democratic Organisation – led by allies of former prime minister Boris Johnson – have claimed many grassroots Tories are effectively “on strike” because of disillusionment with Rishi Sunak, reports Political Correspondent Adam Forrest.

The group’s chairman, former MEP David Campbell Bannerman, said: “Urgent change is needed. Sunak unfortunately has had his chance – and blown it.”

“Members demand a leadership vote as soon as possible so we can turn things around and avoid electoral disaster. We need new management.”

Another senior Tory – source close to the 1922 Committee – told The Independent that Sir Simon’s actions were “entirely self-destructive and not shared by any significant number of people in the party”, reports Political Correspondent Adam Forrest.

Senior Tory Tobias Ellwood told The Independent: “The scale of backlash against Simon Clarke’s comments has been significant by its scale and reach across all wings of the Party.

“I suspect this may deter others from following such a reckless call for yet another leadership campaign so close to a general election.”

The Independent understands that Robert Jenrick – who led the recent right-wing rebellion over the Rwanda bill – will not be joining Sir Simon Clarke in calling for Rishi Sunak to be replaced, reports Political Correspondent Adam Forrest.

Liz Truss does not back Sir Simon’s intervention either. So it does not look like it will be building any head of steam.

Senior Sunak allies said Sir Simon Clarke’s push against the PM had already fizzled out, with no-one new on the right calling for Sunak to be replaced, reports Political Correspondent Adam Forrest.

One senior figure told The Independent: “Clarke is wasting everyone’s time. It’s going nowhere.” Another called Sir Simon was an “outlier”, saying they were confident he was not be followed by other MPs on the right.

No 10 described Sir Simon as “one MP” who was “in a different place to some other MPs”, reports Politics and Whitehall Editor Kate Devlin.

However, Downing Street would not be drawn on whether or not they thought he was a ‘lone wolf’.

But they said his intervention would not “distract us” Mr Sunak from getting on with “what matters to people”.

Rishi Sunak is being “bullied” by Tory MPs as they take part in the “longest episode of EastEnders ever put to film”, according to Sir Keir Starmer.

The Prime Minister countered by branding Labour leader Sir Keir a “human weathervane” and attacked his work as a lawyer as the pair traded personal insults in the House of Commons.

Mr Sunak arrived in the chamber to loud cheers from his MPs, just hours after former Cabinet minister Sir Simon Clarke called for him to be replaced as leader to avoid a Conservative “massacre” at the general election.

Sir Simon Clarke is “in a different place to some other MPs” and his intervention “won’t distract us from getting on with what matters to people”, Downing Street said.

The Prime Minister’s press secretary said: “The PM is just focused on the job, getting on with the key priorities that he’s set out for the country and that’s where he’s spending his time at the moment.”

Asked whether Rishi Sunak would be talking with Sir Simon in the wake of his Telegraph op-ed, she said she would “never get into conversations between the Prime Minister and colleagues.”

Number 10 insisted the Conservatives are united on the “big issues” such as lowering tax where it is responsible to do so, describing Sir Simon as a “known critic.”

Asked whether Mr Sunak was worried about a wider revolt, she said: This is one MP. All I would say is Simon Clarke has set out his view in a paper today.

“We recognise that he’s in a different place to some other MPs that have come out today. He’s entitled to his view but that won’t distract us from getting on with what matters to people.”

Downing Street has refused to deny Rishi Sunak has plans to bring Lee Anderson back as Tory deputy chairman, saying Number 10 has a “lot of time” for him despite his resignation over the Rwanda Bill.

Asked whether the prime minister would consider giving Mr Anderson his job back after he reportedly voiced regret over his abstention, Mr Sunak’s press secretary said it was “the PM’s prerogative to choose and when” who gets which jobs.

“I think we can say that we have a lot of time for Lee. He made it clear that he had concerns but actually he really supports getting this deterrent up and running so it’s good to see him talking about that today,” she said.

Mr Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith both quit as Conservative Party deputy chairs after siding with right-wing Tory MPs in backing the rebel amendments to Mr Sunak’s Rwanda bill.

Senior Tory MP Stephen Hammond has said Sir Simon Clarke was “wrong” to call for Rishi Sunak to be replaced – advising him to “keep quiet” unless he wanted to kill the party, reports Political Correspondent Adam Forrest.

The leading moderate told Times Radio: “My strong advice to Simon is, this isn’t going to work. This is wrong. And I think it’ll be helpful for the Conservative party cause, if he does want to stop the extinction of the party, don’t say any more.”

Mr Hammond added: “The very worst thing we could do now is have another change of leader. That would make us look … well I think self-indulgence is probably the right term.”