Rishi Sunak has accused Sir Keir Starmer of having “no principles at all” over the Labour Rochdale by-election candidate Azhar Ali in a live TV grilling by undecided and swing voters.
Just minutes before the Prime Minister faced questions on GB News in County Durham on Monday evening, Labour withdrew its support for Mr Ali, who had claimed Israel deliberately relaxed security to allow Hamas to carry out their 7 October attack, to provide grounds to invade Gaza.
Mr Ali apologised for his “deeply offensive” remarks, made in a recording obtained by the Mail on Sunday– yet the controversy has prompted questions about the Labour leader’s claim the party has changed since the antisemitism crisis that engulfed Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.
It comes as Mr Sunak is facing one of the most challenging weeks of his premiership, with two tricky by-elections, opposition to his Rwanda Bill currently under scrutiny in the House of Lords, and the release of official figures revealing whether the country has slipped into a recession.
