Starmer is told by senior MP to ‘forget about’ his obsession with Partygate because it is making Labour look ‘out of touch’
- The Shadow levelling up secretary urged the Labour leader to pull back from talking too much about Partygate, hinting at a split within the opposition party
- Lisa Nandy said Labour risks looking ‘out of touch’ by overfocusing on the issue
- She said the cost of living crisis was more important than the political scandal
A senior Labour MP has warned Sir Keir Starmer that his obsession with Partygate risks making the party look ‘out of touch’.
Shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy told the Labour leader voters struggling to make ends meet want the party to focus on the cost of living.
And she said there was a danger that the public would think ‘we’re all as bad as each other’ if Labour continued its relentless focus on whether lockdown rules were breached in Downing Street.
Sir Kier Starmer has been going after the Prime Minister for breaking lockdown restrictions during a birthday party held during the pandemic, for which he paid a police fine. But some of his own shadow ministers are wondering if the party shouldn’t have other priorities in mind
The clash came as Boris Johnson prepared to order Cabinet ministers to make renewed efforts to ease the impact of soaring prices.
A Government source said the PM would convene a ‘cost of living Cabinet’ meeting today, with ministers asked to find ways to reduce the pressure on families. Ministers will be told to highlight existing schemes which are underused.
Downing Street last night said that an estimated 1.3million families are missing out on the Tax Free Childcare scheme, which can be worth up to £2,000 a year.
Some 850,000 households eligible for Pension Credit are not claiming it, which can be worth up to £3,300 a year.
Rishi Sunak has ruled out further support schemes at present, meaning ministers will be asked to examine ‘non-fiscal’ measures.
They will also be told to look again at policies that could put further pressures on family finances.
The new stance is expected to see a further delay in imposing post-Brexit import checks on goods arriving from the EU.
Ministers are also re-examining whether to press ahead with a ban on ‘buy-one-get-one-free’ offers on unhealthy food.
Shadow levelling up secretary Lisa Nandy has told Labour leader Kier Starmer that he risks looking out of touch for focusing on Partygate, saying he should keep his attention on the cost of living crisis
Whitehall sources yesterday acknowledged that a report into Partygate by civil service ethics chief Sue Gray was likely to criticise the PM’s leadership, but declined to comment on reports her findings would be so damaging he would be forced to resign.
Sir Keir has relentlessly raised Partygate to embarrass the PM, even though the ongoing police investigation means he is unable to respond in detail.
Miss Nandy, who came third in Labour’s last leadership contest, is said to have questioned the approach at a meeting of the shadow cabinet last week.
The Wigan MP told Sir Keir that Labour risked looking ‘out of touch’ by failing to focus on cost of living issues.
But Labour sources stressed that much of the focus of the party’s campaign had been on the cost of living.
A source close to Miss Nandy last night said she ‘wasn’t saying that Partygate isn’t important, just that [the] cost of living is very important too’.
A Government source said Boris Johnson would convene a ‘cost of living Cabinet’ meeting today, with ministers asked to find ways to reduce the pressure on families. Ministers will be told to highlight existing schemes which are underused