Labour insiders fear Starmer’s past could come back to haunt him as Tories plan to ramp up attacks

Published

2 years ago

April 29, 2023

admin

Labour insiders have expressed concern about Tory plans to ramp up attacks on Sir Keir Starmer’s tenure as director of public prosecutions, Sky News can reveal.

The Labour leader has repeatedly referenced his time leading the Crown Prosecution Service between 2008 and 2013 as a core part of his political pitch to voters.

At PMQs earlier this month, he boasted: “I have prosecuted thousands upon thousands of sex offenders. The prime minister has just shown that he does not understand how the criminal justice system works. No wonder he cannot fix it.”

But some Labour Party insiders have reservations about this approach, with one telling Sky News: “If your record involves as many controversies as Keir Starmer, it’s probably not great political strategy to draw attention to it.”

Staffers in the attack unit at Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) have been combing through cases for more than a year.

Senior Tory sources say they believe Sir Keir’s past is a vulnerability they can exploit, having identified a number of examples they think will change the public’s view of the Labour leader.

Red Knight, the unauthorised biography of Sir Keir by Tory pollster Lord Ashcroft, has emerged as what some in CCHQ see as an attack bible – chronicling controversial cases, including the prosecution of journalists for phone hacking.

“There’s a lot of material out there,” a senior Conservative source explains.

“One of the areas where Starmer is really open to criticism is this constant claiming that he personally prosecuted this person or that person, and then when something went wrong and someone wasn’t prosecuted, or the case was messed up, he says ‘It’s nothing to do with me’.

“You can’t have it both ways – the person at the top of the organisation is responsible and is the one who will have to issue a public apology when things go wrong.”

Sky News can reveal that one such case that the Tories will use to attack the Labour leader in the coming months is the so-called “Twitter joke trial” of 2010.

The controversial case hit the headlines when Paul Chambers from South Yorkshire was found guilty at Doncaster Magistrates Court for sending a “menacing” tweet about wanting to blow Robin Hood Airport “sky high” because it was closed due to snow.

Mr Chambers said he did not think his “silly joke”, which he sent in January 2010, would be taken seriously – but he was nevertheless arrested and charged under the Communications Act, for sending messages of a “grossly offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing character”.

Mr Chambers subsequently appealed his case and won, with a number of high-profile comedians including Stephen Fry, Al Murray and Graham Linehan all backing him.

Labour sources expressed concern that the case could play into the caricature the Tories have painted of Sir Keir as “Sir Softie” – the “lefty lawyer” they hope to portray as out of touch and too politically correct.

The Tories insist their main focus is establishing their own “competence of government” following a series of scandals and leadership dramas.

But with the local elections just around the corner and the general election fast approaching, “you can expect this sort of stuff to come out”, the Conservative source says.

The first public attack on Sir Keir’s past record came when former prime minister Boris Johnson accused the Labour leader of failing to prosecute the former television presenter and prolific sex offender Jimmy Savile.

The Labour leader hit back strongly against the claim, which he perceived as a slur, and pointed out that he was not the lawyer responsible for reviewing the case.

However, as head of the DPP, others argued that he bore the ultimate responsibility.

It is a viewpoint some believe Labour has endorsed itself with its recent attack ads against the prime minister – the most controversial of which suggested Mr Sunak did not think child sexual abusers should go to prison.

Some Labour sources fear the personal nature of the criticism against Mr Sunak – as well as the suggestion that he personally is responsible for the past 13 years – could “legitimise” any further Tory attacks on Sir Keir’s record as DPP.

One Labour insider said the ad had “deflected attention from Labour’s positive message and what the Tories have done to the country and onto trivia and Starmer’s record.”

They added: “If your record involves as many controversies as Keir Starmer, it’s probably not great political strategy to draw attention to it. In fact, it’s more like a case study of what not to do.”

Another party source said: “One of the problems with the ad is that it makes Keir’s record as DPP fair game. I’m sure the Tories were going to attack it anyway, but now we’ve just invited it on.”

But one shadow cabinet member who spoke to Sky News dismissed the idea the ads have spurred on the Tories’ efforts to attack Sir Keir.

“The Tories will always get down and dirty in their campaign because that’s what they do.

“They can hit us as hard as they like, but Keir’s record as DPP is really strong – he’s locked up thousands of dangerous criminals and terrorists – while they literally broke the law in Downing Street.

“If they open up this as an attack, our defence will be stronger than their attack. You’re either up for the fight or you’re not – but we are and we intend to win it.

“Bring it on.”

A Labour spokesperson said Sir Keir would continue to point to his experience as a reason voters should place their trust in him:

“As the country’s most senior prosecutor, Keir Starmer got criminals off the streets, locked up terrorists and prosecuted MPs who cheated their expenses.

“At the heart of his approach were victims; their rights, their confidence in the system and securing them justice. Keir was a reforming director of public prosecutions, acting where he saw failure and driving through change when it was needed. He is rightly proud of his record.”

World

Financial markets were always going to respond to Trump tariffs but they’re also battling with another problem

Published

4 hours ago

April 4, 2025

admin

Financial markets were always going to respond to Trump tariffs but they're also battling with another problem

Global financial markets gave a clear vote of no-confidence in President Trump’s economic policy.

The damage it will do is obvious: costs for companies will rise, hitting their earnings.

The consequences will ripple throughout the global economy, with economists now raising their expectations for a recession, not only in the US, but across the world.

Tariffs latest: FTSE 100 suffers biggest daily drop since COVID

Financial investors had been gradually re-calibrating their expectations of Donald Trump over the past few months.

Hopes that his actions may not match his rhetoric were dashed on Wednesday as he imposed sweeping tariffs on the US’ trading partners, ratcheting up protectionism to a level not seen in more than a century.

Markets were always going to respond to that but they are also battling with another problem: the lack of certainty when it comes to Trump.

He is a capricious figure and we can only guess his next move. Will he row back? How far is he willing to negotiate and offer concessions?

These are massive unknowns, which are piled on to uncertainty about how countries will respond.

China has already retaliated and Europe has indicated it will go further.

That will compound the problems for the global economy and undoubtedly send shivers through the markets.

Much is yet to be determined, but if there’s one thing markets hate, it’s uncertainty.

World

Court confirms sacking of South Korean president who declared martial law

Published

21 hours ago

April 4, 2025

admin

Court confirms sacking of South Korean president who declared martial law

South Korea’s constitutional court has confirmed the dismissal of President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was impeached in December after declaring martial law.

His decision to send troops onto the streets led to the country’s worst political crisis in decades.

The court ruled to uphold the impeachment saying the conservative leader “violated his duty as commander-in-chief by mobilising troops” when he declared martial law.

The president was also said to have taken actions “beyond the powers provided in the constitution”.

Supporters and opponents of the president gathered in their thousands in central Seoul as they awaited the ruling.

The 64-year-old shocked MPs, the public and international allies in early December when he declared martial law, meaning all existing laws regarding civilians were suspended in place of military law.

After suddenly declaring martial law, Mr Yoon sent hundreds of soldiers and police officers to the National Assembly.

He has argued that he sought to maintain order, but some senior military and police officers sent there have told hearings and investigators that Mr Yoon ordered them to drag out politicians to prevent an assembly vote on his decree.

His presidential powers were suspended when the opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on 14 December, accusing him of rebellion.

The unanimous verdict to uphold parliament’s impeachment and remove Mr Yoon from office required the support of at least six of the court’s eight justices.

South Korea must hold a national election within two months to find a new leader.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, is the early favourite to become the country’s next president, according to surveys.

World

Stock markets suffer sharp drops after Donald Trump announces sweeping tariffs

Published

22 hours ago

April 4, 2025

admin

Stock markets suffer sharp drops after Donald Trump announces sweeping tariffs

Stock markets around the world fell on Thursday after Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs – with some economists now fearing a recession.

The US president announced tariffs for almost every country – including 10% rates on imports from the UK – on Wednesday evening, sending financial markets reeling.

While the UK’s FTSE 100 closed down 1.55% and the continent’s STOXX Europe 600 index was down 2.67% as of 5.30pm, it was American traders who were hit the most.

Trump tariffs latest: US stock markets tumble

All three of the US’s major markets opened to sharp losses on Thursday morning.

By 8.30pm UK time (3.30pm EST), The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 3.7%, the S&P 500 opened with a drop of 4.4%, and the Nasdaq composite was down 5.6%.

Compared to their values when Donald Trump was inaugurated, the three markets were down around 5.6%, 8.7% and 14.4%, respectively, according to LSEG.

Worst one-day losses since COVID

As Wall Street trading ended at 9pm in the UK, two indexes had suffered their worst one-day losses since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The S&P 500 fell 4.85%, the Nasdaq dropped 6%, and the Dow Jones fell 4%.

It marks Nasdaq’s biggest daily percentage drop since March 2020 at the start of COVID, and the largest drop for the Dow Jones since June 2020.

‘Trust in President Trump’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told CNN earlier in the day that Mr Trump was “doubling down on his proven economic formula from his first term”.

“To anyone on Wall Street this morning, I would say trust in President Trump,” she told the broadcaster, adding: “This is indeed a national emergency… and it’s about time we have a president who actually does something about it.”

Later, the US president told reporters as he left the White House that “I think it’s going very well,” adding: “The markets are going to boom, the stock is going to boom, the country is going to boom.”

He later said on Air Force One that the UK is “happy” with its tariff – the lowest possible levy of 10% – and added he would be open to negotiations if other countries “offer something phenomenal”.

Economist warns of ‘spiral of doom’

The turbulence in the markets from Mr Trump’s tariffs “just left everybody in shock”, Garrett Melson, portfolio strategist at Natixis Investment Managers Solutions in Boston, told Reuters.

He added that the economy could go into recession as a result, saying that “a lot of the pain, will probably most acutely be felt in the US and that certainly would weigh on broader global growth as well”.

Meanwhile, chief investment officer at St James’s Place Justin Onuekwusi said that international retaliation is likely, even as “it’s clear countries will think about how to retaliate in a politically astute way”.

He warned: “Significant retaliation could lead to a tariff ‘spiral of doom’ that could be the growth shock that drags us into recession.”

It comes as the UK government published a long list of US products that could be subject to reciprocal tariffs – including golf clubs and golf balls.

Running to more than 400 pages, the list is part of a four-week-long consultation with British businesses and suggests whiskey, jeans, livestock, and chemical components.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on Thursday that the US president had launched a “new era” for global trade and that the UK will respond with “cool and calm heads”.

It also comes as Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a 25% tariff on all American-imported vehicles that are not compliant with the US-Mexico-Canada trade deal.

He added: “The 80-year period when the United States embraced the mantle of global economic leadership, when it forged alliances rooted in trust and mutual respect and championed the free and open exchange of goods and services, is over. This is a tragedy.”