Connect with us

Published

on

It’s “lunacy”, “facile and divisive self-indulgence”, “ludicrous” and a “circular firing squad”. Just some of the attacks on Sir Simon Clarke after his “Rishi must go” outburst.

His incendiary attack is either a one-man kamikaze mission or the start of a new mutiny by right-wing Tory MPs. So far, however, it’s looking more kamikaze than mutiny.

True, the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP – one of Liz Truss’s leading lieutenants – was one of the 11 rebels in the third reading of the Rwanda bill last week.

But he doesn’t have a reputation as being one of the craziest of the right-wingers and his blistering onslaught against the prime minister in The Daily Telegraph has stunned MPs of all parties.

Politics latest: Reaction to Clarke’s call for PM to go

It’s also true that he was one of the Conservative MPs who submitted a vote of no confidence in Theresa May’s leadership in 2018. So he’s got form as a political assassin.

But even some of Mr Sunak’s harshest critics will regard some of his language in his Telegraph article as grossly over the top and view his act of treachery as total madness.

More on Conservatives

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘Simon Clarke should keep quiet’

Where his arguments appear deeply flawed are where he quotes at length the Telegraph’s YouGov MRP poll last week predicting a Tory wipeout on the scale of the Tony Blair landslide in 1997.

That poll, however, has been strongly criticised – not least by the pollsters YouGov, who claimed the Telegraph had distorted its findings – and the Tories’ election guru Isaac Levido told Conservative MPs last week to ignore it.

And some of Sir Simon’s claims, surely, are wide of the mark. Tories out of power for a decade? Really? Extinction if Nigel Farage comes back? Apocalyptic, to say the least.

Rishi Sunak – uninspiring and the main obstacle to recovery, gone from asset to anchor? And then this wounding blast: “He does not get what Britain needs. And he is not listening to what the British people want.”

Those are the sort of criticisms the prime minister gets from the Labour Party. No wonder the furious reaction of senior colleagues is that Sir Simon – knighted in Liz Truss’s resignation honours – is doing Labour’s work for them.

A change of leader and the Tories would recover strongly this year, he claims. That surely has got to be one of his more preposterous claims. He even acknowledges that many MPs will claim the party would look ridiculous.

But “meekly sleepwalking towards an avoidable annihilation” would be more ridiculous, he writes. Changing leader would give the party a fighting chance, he claims.

Well, the only fighting that’s going on is between Conservative MPs. No wonder sensible senior figures like Damian Green, Sir Liam Fox, Dame Priti Patel and Sir David Davis have denounced and disowned him.

Is Sir Simon proposing to stand as a stalking horse in a leadership contest, like Sir Anthony Meyer against Margaret Thatcher in 1989, in what was the beginning of the end for her premiership?

Would he attract much support? Unlikely. So far, there doesn’t appear to be the appetite among Tory MPs for a mutiny. Which – so far – leaves Sir Simon exposed as a one-man kamikaze squad.

Continue Reading

Politics

Cboe files to list staked Injective ETF from Canary Capital

Published

on

By

Cboe files to list staked Injective ETF from Canary Capital

Cboe files to list staked Injective ETF from Canary Capital

The Cboe has filed to list Canary Capital’s staked Injective ETF, potentially making it the third staked crypto ETF following Solana and Ether.

Continue Reading

Politics

US seeks to claim $2.4M in Bitcoin seized from ransomware group

Published

on

By

US seeks to claim .4M in Bitcoin seized from ransomware group

US seeks to claim .4M in Bitcoin seized from ransomware group

The US is seeking the forfeiture of 20.2 BTC seized by the Dallas FBI from the Chaos ransomware group, adding to the country’s proposed Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.

Continue Reading

Politics

Trump reignites row with ‘nasty’ Sadiq Khan as Starmer responds

Published

on

By

Trump reignites row with 'nasty' Sadiq Khan as Starmer responds

Donald Trump has reignited his row with London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan after calling him a “nasty person” who has done “a terrible job”.

During an hour-long news conference with Sir Keir Starmer in Scotland, the US president hit out at the Labour mayor, who has responded with his own snipey remarks.

Trump latest: US leader gives Putin new deadline to end war

Asked if he would visit London during his state visit in September, Mr Trump said: “I will, I’m not a fan of your mayor, I think he’s done a terrible job.

“A nasty person, I think.”

The prime minister then interrupted and said: “He’s a friend of mine.”

But the president added: “I think he’s done a terrible job but I will certainly visit London, I hope so.”

More on Donald Trump

Sir Sadiq’s spokesperson then released a statement saying: “Sadiq is delighted that President Trump wants to come to the greatest city in the world.

“He’d see how our diversity makes us stronger not weaker; richer, not poorer.

“Perhaps these are the reasons why a record number of Americans have applied for British citizenship under his presidency.”

The Right Honourable Sir Sadiq Khan after receiving the Honour of Knighthood during an Investiture ceremony.
Pic: PA
Image:
Sir Sadiq Khan was knighted in June. Pic: PA

They noted that Sir Sadiq has won three mayoral elections, including when Mr Trump lost the US election in 2020.

This is not the first time Mr Trump and Sir Sadiq have locked horns.

Read more:
US and EU agree trade deal
Scots divided as Trump heads to Turnberry

Prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer (right) and Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan lays a wreath at the 7/7 Memorial, in Hyde Park, London, to mark
Image:
The PM told Mr Trump that Sir Sadiq is a friend of his – seen here laying wreaths for the anniversary of the 7/7 bombings. Pic: PA

During his first presidential term, Mr Trump called the London mayor a “stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London”.

Sir Sadiq then described Mr Trump as a “poster boy for racists”.

And in November 2024, after Mr Trump won his second term, Sir Sadiq said many Londoners would be “fearful” about what it would “mean for democracy”.

However, as Sir Keir tried to show diplomacy with Mr Trump after becoming PM, Sir Sadiq said he “wanted to work closely with the American president” ahead of his inauguration in January.

The London mayor said as somebody “who believes in democracy, and voting and elections, we should recognise the fact that Donald Trump is the elected president of the United States”.

But he added: “Let’s keep our fingers crossed that this president is different from the last time he was president.”

Continue Reading

Trending