Will UK Muslims vote for Rishi Sunak given his off the charts support for Israel?

[shortbread]

Need an another oil embargo, but the arabs led by the shameless Saudis are too impotent to do anything.

Why, they're just returning the favour.

The West supplied arms to the Saudis and Emaratis to help bomb and kill hundreds of thousands of Yemenis and no one ever really complained.

So why should the Saudis behave any differently?




.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Need an another oil embargo, but the arabs led by the shameless Saudis are too impotent to do anything.

What is Pakistan and its atomic bomb doing?

 

[KingKhanWC]

What is Pakistan and its atomic bomb doing?

I think this is only for India....if required...

 

[DeadlyVenom]

I agree this is the best method now.

I would go further and say ALL in the west shouldn't vote, its a sham, a scam, nothing more.

I respectfully would disagree with you and @MenInG on this matter.

In fact I would go the exact opposite.

Muslims in the UK are quite apolitical. Even the few that are politically active are content with a few handshakes and selfies. We do bhangra when a politician visits a mosque or wishes Eid Mubarak.

But our political involvement is limited. There are plenty of rich Muslims in the UK who could try to influence policies by donating to think tanks or parties.

There is enough of us to take up active card-carrying members of political parties, go to party meetings and significantly challenge the policies of certain MPs to the extent that they would risk deselection in the next elections.

For example, the idea being floated around at the moment is to try and run as independents in certain areas where Labour MPs have voted against a Palestinian ceasefire. This won't work.

It would be far better to take up membership in the big two parties and actively try to influence the local MPs/candidates. I'm not talking about anything drastic here. Just exercising democratic rights.

As a community, we must become more active in the political process to be listened to.

Sure, it might not work, but it has at least a better chance of working than complete disengagement.

 

[KingKhanWC]

I respectfully would disagree with you and @MenInG on this matter.

In fact I would go the exact opposite.

Muslims in the UK are quite apolitical. Even the few that are politically active are content with a few handshakes and selfies. We do bhangra when a politician visits a mosque or wishes Eid Mubarak.

But our political involvement is limited. There are plenty of rich Muslims in the UK who could try to influence policies by donating to think tanks or parties.

There is enough of us to take up active card-carrying members of political parties, go to party meetings and significantly challenge the policies of certain MPs to the extent that they would risk deselection in the next elections.

For example, the idea being floated around at the moment is to try and run as independents in certain areas where Labour MPs have voted against a Palestinian ceasefire. This won't work.

It would be far better to take up membership in the big two parties and actively try to influence the local MPs/candidates. I'm not talking about anything drastic here. Just exercising democratic rights.

As a community, we must become more active in the political process to be listened to.

Sure, it might not work, but it has at least a better chance of working than complete disengagement.

I agree with you at a local level, it will make a difference for councils esp in schooling, healthcare, roads and other public services.

But at the higher level, the system is designed for corruption. Donors give money to politicians, they do their bidding in order for the donors to profit. In some nations, politicians cant accept donations from those linked to business, this is how it should be. Until if the turnout in the GE was say 5%, the system would collapse and a new more just system for the people would be created.

 

[James]

With regards to Sunak the biggest issue he faces politically is how hated the Conservative Party has become, due to the general national stagnation after 13 years of them in government, them as a party gradually going stale and losing their identity and sense of direction, and their piled up Mount Vesuvius of mistakes whilst in office. Regardless of his skin colour and whether he supports Israel.

It feels like the UK voters will dump the Conservatives and bring the Labour Party back in not because they hate Sunak or what he stands for (most people are indifferent to him) but simply because they want a change of government.

How much in practice actually will change is another matter of course!

 

[cricketjoshila]

I think this is only for India....if required...

Only online posting for Israel?

 

[shortbread]

With regards to Sunak the biggest issue he faces politically is how hated the Conservative Party has become, due to the general national stagnation after 13 years of them in government, them as a party gradually going stale and losing their identity and sense of direction, and their piled up Mount Vesuvius of mistakes whilst in office. Regardless of his skin colour and whether he supports Israel.

It feels like the UK voters will dump the Conservatives and bring the Labour Party back in not because they hate Sunak or what he stands for (most people are indifferent to him) but simply because they want a change of government.

How much in practice actually will change is another matter of course!

Precisely, 95% of the electorate are going to cast their votes on the basis of domestic issues that are relevant to them and the challenges UK faces as a nation. They are far more important than what happens in Palestine.

Tomorrow if Sunak or Truss or whichever conservative leader decides to call out Israel for the atrocities they're doing, perhaps even tattoo 'I love Palestine' on their forehead, they will not win the election, simple as!

People in the west are numb to violence in the middle east, it's non stop, Libya, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Palestine, ISIS, Al Qaeda..... it's a perilous merry go round of killing and people getting killed. If yesterday it was the Houthis, Iran protesters, today it's Palestine, tomorrow it'll be something else, but conflict in the middle east is guaranteed.

A British father Muslim or otherwise will be far more concerned about his unaffordable mortgage and keeping a roof over his family's head than Palestinian suffering, and no one can blame him for that. The people will cast their votes on the basis of who can help rescue UK from the doldrums it finds itself in right now, not which candidate loves Palestine more.

 

[daytrader]

Parthenon marbles row: Rishi Sunak cancels meeting with Greek PM
Tory source says ‘it became impossible for meeting to go ahead’ after Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged return of antiquities to Athens

Greece’s prime minister has criticised the decision of his British counterpart Rishi Sunak to cancel planned talks at which he had hoped to raise the issue of the Parthenon marbles, as disagreements over the antiquities erupted with renewed vigour.

As aides described Sunak’s move as “wrong and undignified”, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who is visiting London, voiced irritation at the scheduled Downing Street meeting being called off at the 11th hour.

“I [want to] express my annoyance at the fact that the British prime minister cancelled our scheduled meeting a few hours before it was due to take place,” the centre-right leader said in a statement released by his Maximou office as the diplomatic row intensified.

“Greece and Britain are united by traditionally strong ties of friendship and the framework of our bilateral relations is exceptionally broad. The views of Greece on the Parthenon sculptures are well known.

“I had hoped to have the opportunity to discuss them with my British counterpart along with other international challenges: Gaza; Ukraine; the climate crisis; migration.”

The statement ended with Mitsotakis berating Sunak for failing to rise to the challenge of discussing the fate of antiquities that have spawned the west’s longest running cultural row. “Whoever believes in the correctness and justice of his views is never afraid of opposing arguments,” it read.

Parthenon marbles row: Rishi Sunak cancels meeting with Greek PM

Tory source says ‘it became impossible for meeting to go ahead’ after Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged return of antiquities to Athens

www.theguardian.com

 

[shortbread]

Parthenon marbles row: Rishi Sunak cancels meeting with Greek PM
Tory source says ‘it became impossible for meeting to go ahead’ after Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged return of antiquities to Athens

Greece’s prime minister has criticised the decision of his British counterpart Rishi Sunak to cancel planned talks at which he had hoped to raise the issue of the Parthenon marbles, as disagreements over the antiquities erupted with renewed vigour.

As aides described Sunak’s move as “wrong and undignified”, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who is visiting London, voiced irritation at the scheduled Downing Street meeting being called off at the 11th hour.

“I [want to] express my annoyance at the fact that the British prime minister cancelled our scheduled meeting a few hours before it was due to take place,” the centre-right leader said in a statement released by his Maximou office as the diplomatic row intensified.

“Greece and Britain are united by traditionally strong ties of friendship and the framework of our bilateral relations is exceptionally broad. The views of Greece on the Parthenon sculptures are well known.

“I had hoped to have the opportunity to discuss them with my British counterpart along with other international challenges: Gaza; Ukraine; the climate crisis; migration.”

The statement ended with Mitsotakis berating Sunak for failing to rise to the challenge of discussing the fate of antiquities that have spawned the west’s longest running cultural row. “Whoever believes in the correctness and justice of his views is never afraid of opposing arguments,” it read.

Parthenon marbles row: Rishi Sunak cancels meeting with Greek PM

Tory source says ‘it became impossible for meeting to go ahead’ after Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged return of antiquities to Athens

www.theguardian.com

A diplomatic disaster and another egg in the face of the incompetent leadership. The irony is Labour as always has been mum about how they would have handled the situation or if they'd have returned the stolen artefacts. 'Great' Britain's diplomatic prowess is now a joke!

 

[BouncerGuy]

why has Rishi Sunak abstained from this resolution? What is the real problem here.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1733236750770700572

 

[BouncerGuy]

Is he trying to stay neutral even though he has done some pro-Israeli stuff in the past?

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Muslims generally don't vote Tory given their socioeconomic status and historical conservative bigotry towards Asians

 

[Hassan A]

TBH, why the need abstain if they have already provided assistance through navy ships in the red sea.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

UK accused of hypocrisy in not backing claim of genocide in Gaza before ICJ

The UK is facing accusations of double standards after formally submitting detailed legal arguments to the international court of justice in The Hague six weeks ago to support claims that Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya ethnic group through its mass mistreatment of children and systematically depriving people of their homes and food.

The UK made its 21-page “declaration of intervention” jointly with five other countries, but it is not supporting South Africa as it prepares to try to convince the ICJ on Thursday that Israel is at risk of committing genocide against the Palestinian people.

The UK submission on Myanmar argues there is a lower threshold for determining genocide if the damage has been inflicted on children as opposed to adults. The submission said other actions that could be defined as genocidal, if systematic, include forced displacement from homes, deprivation of medical services and the imposition of subsistence diets.
It argues that given declarations of intent to commit genocide are rare, the court’s test should not solely be explicit statements or numbers killed, but reasonable inference drawn from a pattern of conduct and factual evidence.

Israel will defend itself at the UN-derived ICJ insisting it has been seeking to protect its civilian population in an attempt to destroy Hamas but not the Palestinian people. It says its post-war plans for Gaza involving Palestinian-led governance is proof of a lack of genocidal intent.

Tayab Ali, the head of international law at Bindmans, said the significance of the UK’s submission on Myanmar “lay in showing the importance the UK attaches to adherence to the [UN] Genocide Convention and in showing the UK took a wide, and not a narrow, definition of acts of genocide, and the intent to commit genocide. It also made clear that the court should take into account risks to life after a ceasefire caused by disabilities, inability to reside in their homes and wider injustices.

“It would be wholly disingenuous if the UK, six week after advancing such a significant and broad definition of genocide in the case of Myanmar, now adopts a narrow one in the case of Israel.”

South Africa is likely to highlight the UK’s arguments about Myanmar, submitted in conjunction with Canada, Germany, Denmark, France and the Netherlands, when it makes its high-stakes accusation of genocide against Israel.

The November joint submission was in support of an original application made to the ICJ by The Gambia in November 2019 that genocidal acts occurred during a 2017 military campaign by Myanmar that drove 730,000 Rohingya into neighbouring Bangladesh.

Myanmar has always denied genocide, rejecting the UN findings as “biased and flawed”. It says its crackdown was aimed at Rohingya rebels who had carried out terrorist attacks in Rakhine state.

The ICJ unanimously accepted The Gambia’s request for provisional measures in December 2020, and issued a legally binding order to Myanmar to ends its genocidal acts and report to the court on the steps it was taking to comply.

The ICJ also threw out Myanmar’s assertion that The Gambia had no right to bring the claim in December 2022, and it is now making a determination of the case on its merits, allowing nation states such as the UK to intervene with supporting legal arguments. Human rights groups widely welcomed the UK’s intervention.

Some of the key principals on the meaning of genocide contained in the joint submission and their potential relevance to Gaza have also been extracted in the US by Robert Howse, the Lloyd C Nelson professor of international law at New York University.

Passages he highlights include: “A narrow construction of underlying acts of genocide obscures how killings and other underlying acts can be waged together in a coordinated strategy aimed at destroying a protected group.

“Given their ordinary meaning, the words ‘physical destruction’ in Article 11(c) are not limited to cases where members of the group immediately die as a result of the ‘conditions of life’ inflicted on the group.”

The submission also highlights the importance of children in assessing a genocide. Nearly 10,000 children and babies have been killed in Gaza, according to the territory’s health authority, about 40% of the fatalities.

The Myanmar submission states: “There is a lower threshold for ‘serious bodily or mental harm’ when the victim is a child ... acts which ... may not be regarded as contributing to the physical or biological destruction of the group when done to adults, might be regarded as meeting those thresholds when done to children.

“It is important to adopt a construction which recognises that what it means for a child to suffer ‘grave and long-term disadvantage to [their] ability to lead a normal and constructive life’ may be different than for an adult.”

Related: Stakes high as South Africa brings claim of genocidal intent against Israel

The submission also reminds the ICJ that it has already recognised that “Article 11(c) of the Convention, covers methods of physical destruction, other than killing, whereby the perpetrator ultimately seeks the death of the members of the group.”

It points out that examples of such conduct recognised by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda include “subjecting a group of people to a subsistence diet, systematic expulsion from homes and the induction of essential medical services below minimum requirement.”

It states: “When considering the deprivation of food or the imposition of a subsistence diet, it would be relevant to consider that the amount of food that would ultimately lead to the death of an adult is different than that which would lead to the death of a child. Similarly, the medical needs of children are different than those of adults, and account needs to be taken of those differences in considering whether the absence of particular medical services amounts to the imposition of conditions of life that would bring about the destruction of specific members of the group.”

According to a leak to the US news website Axios, Israel has already ordered its diplomats to build international opposition to the South African case, pointing out that an adverse ruling “could have significant potential implications that are not only in the legal world but have practical bilateral, multilateral, economic and security ramifications”.

The Israeli government is also taking steps to disassociate itself from some of the more extreme remarks about displacing Palestinians from Gaza made by ministers and other elected politicians.

The Foreign Office has been contacted for comment.


Source: The Guardian

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Rishi Sunak is holding a full cabinet call at 7.45 this evening

Ministers believe it’s about UK and US military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen

Move has been heavily telegraphed by Grant Shapps and by senior figures in the US. It is thought UK aircraft and Navy ships could take part.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Rishi Sunak is holding a full cabinet call at 7.45 this evening

Ministers believe it’s about UK and US military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen

Move has been heavily telegraphed by Grant Shapps and by senior figures in the US. It is thought UK aircraft and Navy ships could take part.

Good timing for his approval ratings.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Rishi Sunak accused of using ‘Islamophobic trope’ against Labour MP

Rishi Sunak has been accused of using an “Islamophobic trope” after he asked Labour’s Zarah Sultana to “call on Hamas and the Houthis to de-escalate the situation”.

Labour MP Naz Shah said it was a “painful blow” by the Prime Minister and called on him to apologise.

Later in the debate, Conservative former minister Andrew Percy was also accused of “playing to a racist trope” by Ms Sultana.

The MP for Coventry South claimed Mr Percy was implying that, because she is a Muslim, she supports Hamas.

Speaking in the Commons, Ms Sultana said: “Past mistakes in the Middle East should have taught this House that military interventions starting out as limited can quickly escalate, risking a sequence of events far larger and more terrible and risk even dragging us into war.
“It is for this reason, according to reports in The Times, that Foreign Office officials were, and I quote, incredibly nervous about last week’s military assault in Yemen.

“Driving the region’s instability is Israel’s horrifying assault on Gaza, which has now lasted more than 100 days.

“So rather than giving Israel the green light to continue its brutal bombardment on Gaza and risking a wider conflict, will the Prime Minister seek to de-escalate the situation and call for an immediate ceasefire?”

In response to this, Mr Sunak said: “Perhaps the honourable lady would do well to call on Hamas and the Houthis to de-escalate the situation.”

Ms Sultana could be heard shouting: “Shame on you.”

Mr Percy, who was the next MP to ask Mr Sunak a question, then said: “Too many people give a free pass to the terrorists who perpetrated the worst murder of Jews and we’ve just seen an example of that, just as we saw examples of that on our streets this weekend where people screamed ‘Yemen, Yemen turn another ship around’ – completely unacceptable.”

Later in the session, Ms Shah criticised the Prime Minister for his response to Ms Sultana.

The MP for Bradford West said: “It really has been a new low, and a new painful blow today for the Prime Minister to have said to a British Muslim in this House, the member for Coventry South, that she should tell Hamas and Houthis to stop doing what they’re doing.

“That is an Islamophobic trope, maybe the Prime Minister will reflect, withdraw and take the opportunity to show leadership and apologise.”

Mr Sunak replied: “I have said to all members consistently not to conflate these conflicts and when they are calling on the UK to deescalate tensions to recognise, the people who are causing these situations in the first place, is the Hamas terrorist organisation and the Houthis.

“And it’s got nothing to do with anything else other than to recognise the instigators of this violence and illegality and make sure that is upper most in everybody’s minds when we have these conversations about the best way to respond.”

Ms Sultana later raised a point of order to say Mr Percy’s “free pass” accusation was “grotesquely untrue”.

She added: “The member’s gross accusation is playing to a racist trope, implying that because I am a Muslim I support Hamas.”

Mr Percy said he was not referencing Ms Sultana, adding: “I’m not going to stop saying that I think people have given a free pass on occasions to behaviour.”



Source: The Independent

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Britain "disappointed" by Netanyahu's stance on Palestinian statehood

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opposition to a future sovereign Palestinian state is "disappointing", British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's office said on Monday, reiterating British support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden have disagreed over the future creation of an independent Palestinian state, with Netanyahu saying at the weekend he would not compromise on "full Israeli security control of all territory west of the Jordan River".

Asked about Netanyahu's comments, Sunak's spokesman told reporters: "It's disappointing to hear this from the Israeli prime minister."

"The UK's position remains (that) a two-state solution, with a viable and sovereign Palestinian state living alongside a safe and secure Israel, is the best route to lasting peace," the spokesman said.

The two-state solution has long been the fundamental framework of international efforts to resolve the conflict but the peace process has been moribund for years.

Britain has backed Israel's right to retaliate against Hamas after the militant group's deadly Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel.

Sunak's government has also called for Israel to respect humanitarian law and pauses in the fighting in the Gaza Strip to allow more aid into the besieged enclave. It wants a "sustainable ceasefire" based on the release of hostages by Hamas, in order to limit civilian casualties.

"Clearly, there will be a long road to recovery and lasting security in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel," the spokesman said. "But we will continue our long term support for the two-state solution for as long as it takes."


Source: Reuters

 

[MenInG]

The way Starmer and Labour are going about now, I would think Muslims may well decide to not vote at all.

 

[shortbread]

The way Starmer and Labour are going about now, I would think Muslims may well decide to not vote at all.

People will vote, as much as there is dissatisfaction for Labour, the hatred for the current Tory lot far outweighs it.

 

[Kroll]

The way Starmer and Labour are going about now, I would think Muslims may well decide to not vote at all.

People will vote, as much as there is dissatisfaction for Labour, the hatred for the current Tory lot far outweighs it.

Yes, I am also considering not voting, shocking the way Starmer has responded to the Gaza crisis. Majority of Muslims vote Labour and I think they should not vote if this keeps up. This would deliver a decisive message to Labour and Starmer.

 

[FearlessRoar]

More than £117m will be spent to protect mosques, Muslim faith schools and community centres from hate attacks, the government has announced.

Home Secretary James Cleverly said the money, which will be spent over the next four years on measures including CCTV cameras, alarms and fencing, would give "reassurance and confidence to UK Muslims".

The announcement follows a £70m package for Jewish groups and comes in response to concerns the Israel-Hamas war is fuelling division in the UK.

Mr Cleverly said: "Anti-Muslim hatred has absolutely no place in our society.

"We will not let events in the Middle East be used as an excuse to justify abuse against British Muslims.

"The prime minister has made clear that we stand with Muslims in the UK.

"That is exactly why we have committed to this funding, giving reassurance and confidence to UK Muslims at a time when it is crucially needed."

The funding forms part of a package of support to provide reassurance that anti-Muslim abuse, threats or harassment or any form of hate crime will not be tolerated.

The £117m over the next four years follows £29.4m available for 2023-24, which included £4.9m allocated following the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel, which triggered the latest conflict in Gaza.

The announcement, which comes at the start of Ramadan, will cover community sites across the UK.

The funding package is larger than that given to the Community Security Trust to cover Jewish facilities because of the higher Muslim population and a larger number of sites to cover.

Security minister Tom Tugendhat said: "This funding demonstrates that this government stands firmly against hate crimes, abuse, threats or harassment against British Muslims.

"We continue to work closely with policing and community partners to ensure the safety and security of British Muslims."

It comes as the government prepares to publish a revised definition of extremist groups.

But Health Secretary Victoria Atkins failed to name which groups or individuals would fall under the revised definition when she was interviewed on Sky News' Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.

More than £117m to be spent on protecting mosques and Muslim faith schools, govt announces

It follows a £70m package for Jewish groups and comes in response to concerns the Israel-Hamas war is fuelling division in the UK.

news.sky.com

 

[shaz619]

Yes, I am also considering not voting, shocking the way Starmer has responded to the Gaza crisis. Majority of Muslims vote Labour and I think they should not vote if this keeps up. This would deliver a decisive message to Labour and Starmer.

It will be very interesting when we head to the polls because the Labour heartlands with a sizeable Muslim populous would still be outnumbered by the vast majority of non-Muslims who vote Labour by default even when there is evidence of corruption like in Sandwell. If we’re honest, I don’t think Gaza/Israel is an important topic for most outside the Muslim community.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Rishi is losing his popularity.

--------------------

‘Weak, useless, rich idiot’: New poll condemns Rishi Sunak ahead of upcoming election

Rishi Sunak’s fading hopes of holding on to power have suffered a humiliating new setback after a new poll showed voters see him as a “weak, useless, rich idiot”.

The verdict of Tory voters on the prime minister is almost as withering. Asked to state their “ideal” party leader, Conservative supporters picked Boris Johnson, followed by Margaret Thatcher, who died 11 years ago, and Nigel Farage ahead of Mr Sunak.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer fares slightly better among voters as a whole, seen as “weak and boring”, though also “honest and competent”.

But unlike Mr Sunak, Sir Keir has solid support from his own supporters: the majority of Labour voters regard him as their “ideal” leader - with no appetite for long-gone predecessors like Tony Blair.

The damning portrait of Mr Sunak, whose Tory party languishes behind Labour by 20 per cent in recent polls, emerged in a survey by JL Partners polling company. A total of 2,105 people took part in the survey on 9 and 10 March.

Asked to summarise each leader in a word, the top ten words most commonly chosen by voters as a whole to describe Mr Sunak, in order of popularity, are: “Weak, useless, rich, untrustworthy, incompetent, bad, idiot, rubbish, liar, smarmy”.

Political leaders could usually rely on their own supporters to be more sympathetic towards them, said JL Partners co-founder James Johnson, but not Mr Sunak.

Those who voted Tory in the 2019 election were nearly as insulting, struggling to find a single good thing to say about him.

Mr Johnson said the ‘word cloud’ survey conducted last weekend explained “the serious slide in Rishi Sunak’s ratings” among the electorate since he became prime minister nearly 18 months ago.

“They used to think he was rich but quite competent, they now think he is rich but also weak,” said Mr Johnson. “That is a really devastating place to be if you are a politician.”

Announcing the results of the poll, Mr Johnson told a gathering of leading political pundits at Carlton House Terrace, London, that Sir Keir was in “a much better place” than Mr Sunak with his own respective party faithful.

Among all voters, the top ten words used to describe Sir Keir included “weak, boring and bland”.

But crucially, he is also thought of as “honest and competent”.

And Sir Keir does much better among those who voted Labour in 2019. They see him in a mainly favourable, albeit unexciting light, choosing words like “reliable, fair and intelligent” as well as “dull”.

Mr Johnson said: “People are not champing at the bit for Labour, there is a lot of reluctance about them - but Starmer is winning the battle of the word clouds.”

He said there had also been a major change in the personal quality voters in all parties seek in a prime minister.

Ten years ago they desired someone who, above all else, was competent. Now they viewed being truthful as more important.

And former prime minister Mr Johnson, ousted from power after claims he had lied over the partygate scandal, may be to blame, hinted JL Partners’ Mr Johnson.

“When it comes to what voters actually want from a prime minister, the number one thing is honesty,” he said. “It means not lying - which may be the result of recent political events. It means ‘I don’t care if it is tough news, tell me like it is’.”

SOURCE: THE INDEPENDENT

 

[globetrotter]

Before Rishi Sunak becomes UK PM, Whether UK was a supporter of Palestine?

 

[Rajdeep]

The verdict of Tory voters on the prime minister is almost as withering. Asked to state their “ideal” party leader, Conservative supporters picked Boris Johnson, followed by Margaret Thatcher, who died 11 years ago, and Nigel Farage ahead of Mr Sunak.

Even I want either Boris Johnson or Nigel Farage to be the next PM of Great Britain. Ideally Boris should be leading the country and Farage should be London Mayor.

I think chances of Margaret Thatcher becoming PM again is very low though as dead people can't come back...or as they say.

 

[Cricket Warrior]

Rishi Sunak facing pressure over UK arms sales to Israel

Rishi Sunak is facing growing pressure over UK arms sales to Israel, after the killing of seven aid workers by an Israeli strike in Gaza.

The Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party (SNP) and a former UK national security adviser are calling for sales to be suspended now.

Labour says sales must stop if government lawyers believe Israel risks breaching international law.

The prime minister says the UK has a "very careful" arms licensing regime.

Speaking to the Sun, he called for an independent investigation into the Israeli strike, but stopped short of saying arms sales should end.

He added that the UK had been "consistently clear" with Israel that it must follow international humanitarian law.

Describing the deaths as "an awful tragedy," he said the UK wanted to see "a dramatic increase in the amount of aid getting into Gaza".

Rishi Sunak facing pressure over UK arms sales to Israel

The prime minister is facing growing calls to halt sales after an Israeli strike killed aid workers.

www.bbc.com

 

[BouncerGuy]

Rishi Sunak 'incredibly angry' over 'really serious' election date betting allegations

Rishi Sunak has said he is "incredibly angry" to learn of allegations that Tory candidates placed bets on the election date, calling it a "really serious matter".

The prime minister told the BBC Question Time leader's special that "it's right they're being investigated by relevant law enforcement" and he is "crystal clear that if anyone has broken the rules they should face [the] full force of the law".

Asked why those under suspicion haven't been suspended, Mr Sunak said an investigation had to take place first - but anyone guilty would be "booted out" of the party.

Election latest: Audience shouts 'shame' in latest TV showdown

Laura Saunders, the candidate for Bristol North West, is married to its director of campaigns, Tony Lee. The couple are being investigated by the Gambling Commission.

Ms Saunders said she "will be co-operating with the Gambling Commission" probe, while her husband "took a leave of absence" from his role on Wednesday night, a Conservative Party spokesman told Sky News.

It comes a week after the prime minister's close parliamentary aide Craig Williams, the Tory candidate in Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, admitted to putting a "flutter" on the election, saying this has resulted in "some routine inquiries" which he was co-operating with "fully".

Mr Sunak's close protection officer has also been arrested and suspended over alleged bets about the timing of the election.

A gambling industry source told Sky News that "more names" are being looked at, though police "are not involved" in those cases.

Data from Betfair appears to show a flurry of bets on a July poll placed on 21 May, the day before Mr Sunak called the election - including some in the hundreds of pounds at odds that would have resulted in profits in the thousands.

The prime minister was asked by an audience member, to a round of applause, if the allegations are "the absolute epitome of the lack of ethics that we have had to tolerate from the Conservative party for years and years".

He replied: "I was incredibly angry to learn of these allegations. It is a really serious matter."

"I want to be crystal clear that if anyone has broken the rules, they should face the full force of the law."

Quizzed over why the candidates have not been suspended while the investigations take place, Mr Sunak said the "integrity of that process should be respected".

He added: "What I can tell you is if anyone is found to have broken the rules, not only should they face the full consequences of the law, I will make sure that they are booted out of the Conservative Party."

Calls to suspend Tory candidates

Labour Party campaign sources told Sky News they noticed the odds on a July election narrow the day before Mr Sunak announced it on 22 May.

Earlier, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer called for Ms Saunders to be suspended and said it is "very telling" Mr Sunak has not already done so.

"If it was one of my candidates, they'd be gone and their feet would not have touched the floor," Sir Keir added.

Mr Sunak faced many questions about trust during the BBC grilling, with the first audience member asking if he would "confess to [a] small amount of embarrassment" after having five Tory prime ministers in the last seven years and the UK becoming something of an "international laughingstock".

The Tory leader said that "very clearly mistakes had been made" and asked the public to judge him on the last 18 months in office.

He faced shouts of "shame" when he launched an attack on the "foreign court" - the European Court of Human Rights - and also insisted he was glad he called the election when he did despite his standing in the polls plummeting further since then.

Having named the date of the election amid a 20-point deficit, the prime minister has failed to make up ground in a campaign dominated by political gaffes - notably his early exit from a D-day event.

The gambling scandal was the latest blow, after multiple projections of a historic Labour landslide and a number of big figures - from a former Tory donor to a former Tory minister - announcing they would back Sir Keir for the first time ever when polling day comes around.

Responding to Mr Sunak's BBC performance, Lib Dem Education Spokesperson Munira Wilson said the prime minister "has gone from ducking D-Day to blundering on betting".

"If he was truly angry about this scandal these Conservative candidates would have been suspended," she said.

Pat McFadden, Labour's National Campaign Coordinator, said Mr Sunak's "performance tonight was an abject failure".

The Tories hit back: "It was clear from the debate tonight that Keir Starmer will say just what he thinks you want to hear."

Mr Sunak will step up warnings about handing Labour "a blank cheque" at the election later today.

Starmer grilled on U-turns

Mr Sunak faced questions after Sir Keir took to the stage for a grilling that mainly centred around his previous support for Jeremy Corbyn and multiple policy U-turns.

The Labour leader ducked a volley of questions over whether he truly believed his predecessor would make a "great" prime minister, but said he would have been better than Boris Johnson - who went on to win in 2019.

On his U-turns, such as rowing back on a promise to abolish university tuition fees and nationalise energy, Sir Keir said he was a "common sense politician" and those pledges were no longer financially viable after the damage the Tories had done to the economy.

Mr Starmer will be in Scotland today to pledge that Labour's industrial strategy would deliver nearly 70,000 jobs.

Davey confronted over-coalition years

The event also heard from Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, who faced difficult questions about his record in the coalition years and as postal affairs minister during the Horizon scandal.

Challenged by a student over his party abandoning their pledge to scrap tuition fees in the coalition era, he said: "I understand why your generation lost faith in us. It was a difficult government to be in."

On his time as postal affairs minister between 2010 and 2012, and whether he was proud of that role, he said he made "two big mistakes", including failing to initially meet campaigner Alan Bates and not seeing through assurances given to him by the Post Office that there was nothing wrong with the faulty IT system that led to hundreds of wrongful convictions.

On the campaign trail today, the Lib Dem leader will call for urgent reform to end the "appalling situation" in NHS dentistry.

Meanwhile, SNP leader John Swinney, when asked whether he was going to carry on with calling for independence "until you get the answer you want", stressed his belief that Scotland would be better as an independent country.

"I want Scotland to be like Denmark, or Ireland, or Sweden as an independent country. And when you look at those countries, they are more prosperous, they are more equal, they are fairer than Scotland and the United Kingdom," he said.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage - who had complained about being excluded from the leaders' panel - will feature in a separate Question Time next week. He is expected to campaign in Clacton today.

SKY NEWS

 

[BouncerGuy]

He deserved it.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1808885241051857103

 

[ElRaja]

what i will say however, to the dont vote for anyone contingent, if you have a certain political view which is represented by a certain party, to not vote for them on the grounds that they do no stand for another viewpoint is cutting your nose to spite your face.

the fewer people who vote leaves the decision making to the rabid political types, the worst people to be deciding imo.

i didnt vote, lolol.