Rishi Sunak is a member of the “elite and mega-wealthy” and he won’t “make a jot of difference” becoming Prime Minister North East Labour MPs have said while one Conservative MP is backing the former chancellor.
The Richmond MP launched his campaign to replace Boris Johnson today (Tuesday, July 12) pledging to cut taxes only when inflation is under control.
Read more: Horrific scenes show moment Harrogate car is wrapped around tree
However, it’s far from plain sailing for the former Chancellor as Boris Johnson loyalists have moved oppose him.
One North East Tory MP has also publicly backed Mr Sunak claiming he had been “a tireless champion for our levelling up agenda in Darlington and Teesside.”
Peter Gibson, MP for Darlington added: “He took the brave and bold decision to site the Northern Economic Campus in Darlington.
“He handled our economy through the most difficult of challenges and ensured support during covid and through the cost-of-living challenges.
“He is energetic, entrepreneurial and a man of integrity. A man we can trust, and as Darlington’s neighbouring MP, I’m backing Rishi.”
Read more: Road signs get Thirsk wrong with awkward typo in North Yorkshire name
However, Labour MPs have been quick to criticise the Richmond MP, reminding supporters that he “broke the law during lockdown, flouting the very rules his own Government brought in.”
Andy McDonald, MP for Middlesbrough, said a new leader will “not make a jot of difference to people living with the consequences of the cost of living crisis.”
He added: “A new leader will do absolutely nothing to address the grotesque inequalities that have widened under 12 years of Tory austerity.
“The working class will be asked yet again to tighten their belts whilst the mega-rich like Rishi Sunak swan on regardless.”
Mr Sunak is also a “fully signed up member of the elite and mega-wealthy” according to Mr McDonald, whose “sole purpose is the preservation of the status quo for their own benefit.”
He added: “Let us not forget that Rishi Sunak broke the law during lockdown, flouting the very rules his own Government brought in. While people across the country missed loved ones and made sacrifices, he partied.
“It’s a change of government that is needed not irrelevant musical chairs at the top of the Conservative party.”
Alex Cunningham, Labour MP for Stockton North, argued that every step of the way Mr Sunak had “propped up his law-breaking leader."
He said: “That he is a serious contender to replace Boris Johnson as a leader shows the level of contempt the Conservatives have for the British public.
Read more: Man found collapsed with ‘serious head injuries’ outside Co-op
“At every step of the way Rishi Sunak defended and propped up his law-breaking leader, resigning only when it was politically expedient for him to do so.
“He, like the rest of the Government, need to go.”
---------
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
You can also follow our dedicated North Yorkshire Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.
For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here