According to a Labour advertisement, Mr Sunak did not believe that people convicted of child sex assaults should serve jail sentences. Sir Keir supported his party’s stance “no matter how squeamish it might make some feel,” he wrote in the Daily Mail.
A Tory insider responded by charging Sir Keir of neglecting to bring legal action against some of the “worst people in Britain.” They said, “[Sir Keir] believes that the rights of criminals supersede those of the law-abiding majority.” It comes amid rumours that Labour will release additional attack ads this week on several themes as part of the run-up to the May 4 local elections in England.
Sir Keir Starmer
In his Daily Mail article, Sir Keir criticises the government for a variety of shortcomings in the fight against crime, pointing out the low rates of rape and burglary prosecutions. In his article, he claims that “Rishi Sunak and succeeding Tory governments have allowed criminals to get away with it because they don’t get it.”
Although Mr Sunak himself will still be under fire, according to Labour sources, the party will now focus on the expense of living this week. Politicians from all the major parties have criticised the advertisement, which calls for the imprisonment of those who molest children, and it has sparked a dispute inside Labour.
- Mr Sunak did not believe that people convicted of child sex assaults should serve jail sentences.
- Sir Keir criticises the government for a variety of shortcomings in the fight against crime.
- Sunak and succeeding Tory governments have allowed criminals to get away with it, says Sir Keir.
We questioned Labour about how it calculated the number of 4,500 offenders “convicted of sexually assaulting children under the age of 16” who received no prison time under the Tories. It directed us to statistics from the Ministry of Justice covering England and Wales from 2010 to 2022.
When you include adults, or those who are over 18, you do find that number of persons who were found guilty but received a community sentence or a suspended sentence as opposed to a prison sentence.
It’s important to note that the statistic includes both sexual assault against children and sexual activity with children. Labour’s advertisement claims that the statistic solely applies to sexual assault, yet its press release mentions both categories.
The data that Labour highlighted spans from 2010, which was five years before Mr Sunak was elected to office. His inauguration as prime minister came in October of last year. Sir Keir served as DPP from 2008 to 2013, therefore the statistics also include three of those years.
