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Shadow attorney general says critics of social media post 'wrong' related video Labor MP Emily Thornberry has defended a party-bashing ad claiming Rishi Sunak does not believe child sex offenders should go to jail.
The shadow attorney general acknowledged that there was much criticism, including that the social media post was "racist", but said the criticism was "misguided".
Figures from the Labor left joined the Conservatives in expressing their anger at the campaign ad, while shadow culture secretary Lucy Powell refused to endorse it.
The row centers on a tweet in which Labor calls itself "the party of law and order."
Next to a photo of the prime minister, one image reads: 'Do you think adults convicted of child abuse should go to jail? Rishi Sunak does not.
He pointed to Labor's analysis of the Justice Department data and said: 'Under the Conservatives, 4,500 adults convicted of sexually assaulting children under 16 have not served prison time. The job will lock up dangerous child molesters.
Ms Thornberry told BBC Radio 4's Any Questions: "I've heard a lot of people criticize it, and a lot of people I like and respect criticize it and say they're very uncomfortable with it." Some people said they thought it was racist.
“I have to say that I think they are wrong. I do not agree with that. I think the truth is that we need to have a debate in this country, and Rishi Sunak is the Prime Minister and he is responsible for a broken justice system.
Emily Thornberry defended the attack ad (Jacob King/PA)
Asked if she really thought Mr Sunak shared those views, Ms Thornberry replied: 'If he thinks all perpetrators of child abuse should get a prison sentence, why don't so many people get one? prison sentence?
"He is the prime minister and it is a legitimate question for the opposition."
Conservative MP Laura Trott lashed out at the "desperate trick" when she questioned Sir Keir's "integrity", calling him a "political opportunist who is simply unfit to lead the country".
Liberal Democrat MP Munira Wilson said she was "quite upset" with the campaign, saying: "This is not an attack ad that my party would use."
Labor refused to remove the ad and instead continued their approach, posting a similar message accusing Sunak of not wanting to jail "dangerous gunmen".
Judges and magistrates, rather than the Prime Minister on duty, are responsible for passing sentences.
The figures highlighted by Labor cover the period from 2010, five years before Sunak entered parliament. He became prime minister last October.
Former Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell urged his party to stand down, saying: "This is not the kind of politics that a Labor party, confident in its own values and preparing to govern, should be involved in."
“I say to the people who made the decision to post this ad, please take it down. We Labor are better than that.
Denis MacShane, who served as a minister in Tony Blair's government, criticized the announcement, saying Labor "shouldn't go into [the] gutter".
Conservative MP and Science Secretary George Freeman described the initial announcement as a "new low point in British politics" and denounced it as "appalling".
And the chairman of the Commons Defense Select Committee, Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, said: "I called my side for bending over and doing it again now." He warned that if such attacks become common, they could "dissuade people from entering politics."
Former Justice Minister Rory Stewart criticized the announcement as "bile" and "nasty politics", while Tory Vice-President Lee Anderson accused Labor of resorting to "despicable and desperate" campaign strategy.
SNP MP John Nicolson said the ad was "misleading and belittling" the policy.
Criticism has also come from beyond the world of politics, with Rotters' Club author Jonathan Coe tweeting: "Please don't go down this path Labour."
Actor Samuel West, recently seen in All Creatures Great and Small, described him as "shorter than short" and said he was "ashamed" to be a member of the Labor Party.
A Labor source said 'we are sticking to the chart'.
Since the announcement of the attack was published, it has emerged that Sir Keir was on the Sentencing Council in 2012 when it was agreed that child sex offenders should not automatically be sentenced to prison, although a maximum of 14 years has been set after the bars.
A Labor spokesman said: “The government sets the legal framework for sentencing. In March, Dominic Raab changed the rules to reduce the maximum sentences in magistrates' courts.
“But the current situation isn't the Tories' fault and there's nothing they can do about it?
The spokesman added: “The Conservatives have been in power for 13 years and their record is appalling. They broke the criminal justice system, left our prisons overcrowded, and our courts backlogged the most in history.
“The result is an instruction to judges to be lenient with custodial sentences. Every denial they issue on this issue is an insult to the victims and their families.
Additional information from Press Association.
PA files
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