After facing an entire week of backlash for various issues, the Prime Minister cancelled all of his press questions, a decision that has been heavily scrutinised.
Avoiding the Press
In what has turned out to be a tumultuous week for the Conservative Party, the Prime Minister has decided to avoid answering questions from the press.
Facing the Music
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has faced a PR nightmare this week for a number of reasons, and now he is being criticized for not being able to face the music.
Prime Minister’s Public Fallout
The Prime Minister has dealt with backlash for his D-Day disaster, laughing at an unemployed GP, and two Tory candidates being suspended.
Citing a Lack of Time to Answer Media Questions
Now, he is being criticised for cancelling all of his media duties, with the Conservative Party citing issues with timings as the reasons, but Labour has other theories.
Labour’s Fiery Response
Labour’s Shadow Paymaster General, Jonathan Ashworth, criticised the Prime Minister for ducking out of his duties after the D-Day disaster.
Prime Minister Should “Face” the “Scrutiny”
Ashworth claimed that “the least” the Prime Minister could do was “face up to proper public scrutiny” after the disastrous events.
Sunak’s “Desperate” Manifesto
Ashworth accused the Prime Minister of attempting to “come out with yet another desperate wishlist of manifesto proposals this weekend.”
Sunak’s Dreadful Week
Ashworth also suggested that Sunak had failed to properly meet the promises he made to the public 18 months prior, in what has turned out to be a woeful week for the Prime Minister’s public reputation.
Ducking Out of D-Day
Firstly, Sunak was forced to apologise for leaving the 80th anniversary of D-Day early in order to focus on a struggling election campaign to get himself reelected.
Sunak Faces Criticism for D-Day Mishap
Sunak admitted that leaving the event early was wrong and eventually apologised. He also faced criticism from war veterans and even his own staff.
Tory Ministers Slam Sunak
Two Tory Ministers, Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt and Transport Secretary Mark Harper accused the Prime Minister of making a mistake.
Tory Rift Continues
Penny Mordaunt, who was allegedly attempting to oust the Prime Minister earlier in the year, claimed Sunak’s decision was “completely wrong” showing a rift in the Tory ranks.
Two More Tory Drop-Outs
The Prime Minister also had to deal with a huge last-minute blow as two of his constituency leaders backed out of their roles just minutes before the leadership decision deadline.
Candidates’ Concerning Suspensions
The reasoning for one candidate’s dropout didn’t add up, while the other candidate was suspended for some extremely concerning activity.
Sunak Ducking Awkward Questions
Labour’s Jonathon Ashworth continued to claim that Sunak should have been providing answers to the public on these topics but decided to “duck” out.
Sunak “Spent the Day Ducking”
According to Ashworth, “he has spent the day ducking the cameras and dodging all those legitimate questions.”
“Calamitous” Election Campaign
Ashworth called the decision to cancel all media duties “just another farcical episode in this calamitous Conservative campaign.”
Farage Speaks Out Against PM
Labour was not the only Party to criticise the Prime Minister’s mishaps this week. The newly announced Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, also had his say.
Prime Minister “Let the Country Down”
During a live TV debate, Farage echoed war veterans’ words that the Prime Minister had “let the country down” by leaving D-Day duties early.
A Good Move?
The Prime Minister’s decision not to answer questions on these important matters could do more damage to his public image than good, but we will see come election day.
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Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / photocosmos1.