Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is currently under pressure from his party to take disciplinary action against Yvette Cooper, who failed to support Labour's controversial "child sex abusers escape prison" attack advertisement targeting Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Despite receiving widespread criticism and being labelled as 'gutter politics' by detractors, the contentious tweet has been viewed over 20 million times.
Former Home Secretary David Blunkett expressed disappointment in the ad campaign, stating: "My party is better than this." In response, Yvette Cooper later retweeted an article authored by Sir Keir published in last Monday's Daily Mail where he declared that he supported "every word Labour has said" on crime.
However, questions have arisen regarding why Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting did not retweet the provocative advertisement. When asked about this matter by The Mail on Sunday, Mr Streeting stated that he was "fully supportive" of the campaign.
Members within the Labour Party are now urging leader Sir Keir Starmer to impose punitive measures upon Ms. Cooper for her perceived lack of solidarity with the party line during this highly charged political moment. It remains uncertain how Sir Keir will respond to these calls for discipline or what consequences may be faced by those involved in promoting and supporting the disputed advertisement campaign.
A spokesperson for Labour declined to comment directly on internal matters but emphasised that their focus remains steadfastly centred on addressing issues related to crime prevention and public safety: “As a united front, our primary concern is ensuring justice and security for all citizens.”