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Keir Starmer was branded \u201cSir Shifty\u201d as senior Tories warned voters: \u201cYou cannot trust this man.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a blistering attack, they portrayed the Labour leader as a serial flip-flopper who hates Brexit and is a danger to Britain.<\/p>\n
And they painted a nightmare vision of a Starmer-led country with open-door migration, more 20mph traffic zones and militant unions calling the shots.<\/p>\n
Tory chairman Greg Hands tore into Sir Keir on the eve of what may be the party\u2019s last conference before the general election.<\/p>\n
And he declared: \u201cSir Keir fundamentally cannot be trusted.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople distrust him because of his flip-flops on nearly every issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the last eight years, virtually everything Keir Starmer has ever stood for is the opposite of what he has stood for previously.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was the leading exponent of a second Brexit referendum \u2013 and now he\u2019s talking about wanting to see the benefits of Brexit.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was against tuition fees \u2013 now he\u2019s back in favour of tuition fees.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: <\/strong> Labour blasted over Mid Beds by-election ad after Charity Commission criticism<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cOnly four years ago he wanted to see Jeremy Corbyn as Prime Minister \u2013 now he doesn\u2019t even want to see him as an MP.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s aged 60 and he\u2019s had multiple positions just in his 50s.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not somebody who people can trust.\u201d<\/p>\n The gloves came off in what is the start of what could be a 12-month phony election war before Britain goes to the polls.<\/p>\n Mr Hands \u2013 who is at the heart of preparations for the election expected in the next year \u2013 describes Rishi Sunak as a man who \u201cwon\u2019t mess you around\u201d.<\/p>\n And he says the PM is fighting hard to defeat the people smugglers who send migrants on the treacherous journey in small boats across the Channel.<\/p>\n The Tories\u2019 chances of staying in power are likely to hinge on whether voters decide Mr Sunak and not Sir Keir can best deliver the stability and growth the country needs.<\/p>\n The Conservatives\u2019 reputation for stable government was dealt a blow with the sudden collapse of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss\u2019s administrations and the economic turmoil that followed.<\/p>\n But the party is planning to tell voters that if they keep Mr Sunak in No10 he will be there for the whole parliamentary term.<\/p>\n Mr Hands said: \u201cWe will go into the next election looking for a full-term for Rishi as Prime Minister. That, I think, is going to be an essential part of the offer.\u201d<\/p>\n Don’t miss… <\/strong> A key challenge is convincing the nation the Tories are not clapped out and that it is not time for a change.<\/p>\n The party chairman warned Opposition parties could inflict long-term damage on the UK if they take power,.<\/p>\n And he also raised the spectre of a Labour-Liberal Democrat-SNP \u201cwoke coalition\u201d.<\/p>\n He fears if Sir Keir teamed up with the Lib Dems\u2019 Sir Ed Davey these \u201ctwo knights\u201d would lower the voting age, replace the electoral system and \u201cchange Britain permanently for the worse\u201d.<\/p>\n Mr Hands claimed there is \u201creal concern\u201d a Labour government would turbo-charge woke policies and argues the party\u2019s \u201cheart is basically not in the right place to start with\u201d.<\/p>\n He said the party would \u201cundoubtedly\u201d kill the Government\u2019s flagship scheme to send asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing.<\/p>\n Sir Keir, he said, may support Arsenal, a team whose kit features a slogan encouraging people to \u201cVisit Rwanda\u201d but \u201cI don\u2019t think he wants anybody to go there\u201d.<\/p>\n People smugglers, he argued, are in no doubt about who represents the biggest threat to their illegal enterprise.<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n \u201cI think the criminal smugglers will be thinking that their biggest enemies at the moment are Rishi Sunak, Suella Braverman and the Conservative Government,\u201d Mr Hands said. \u201cThose are the only people actually trying to stop them.\u201d<\/p>\n He claimed people \u201cstrongly have the feeling Keir Starmer doesn\u2019t even want to try\u201d.<\/p>\n And the personal attacks are likely to intensify as the election races closer.<\/p>\n Mr Hands said the party conference, which begins in Manchester today, could be the last before the election.<\/p>\n Labour has sought to portray Sir Keir as a responsible former Director of Public Prosecutions whose humble upbringing has given him a clear understanding of the concerns of ordinary people. Mr Hands and his colleagues want to brand him as \u201cjust a Camden Lefty\u201d who lacks conviction.<\/p>\n And Conservatives are in a battle to stop former Labour voters who backed Mr Johnson in 2019 drifting back to Sir Keir\u2019s party.<\/p>\n Lambasting his record on Britain\u2019s decision to leave the EU as \u201cvery, very shifty\u201d, Mr Hands said: \u201cHe\u2019s clearly somebody who hates Brexit. I wouldn\u2019t be at all surprised if he tries to take Britain into some sort of customs arrangement with the European Union.\u201d<\/p>\n He has a clear message for Tories who are tempted to vote for Reform UK, the rebranded Brexit Party.<\/p>\n \u201cThe person most cheering on anybody considering voting Reform is Sir Keir Starmer,\u201d Mr Hands said.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is the person who most wants people to vote Reform because he knows it will make it more likely he can get into Downing Street by stealth.\u201d<\/p>\n Before then there is the challenge of winning by-elections in the constituencies formerly held by Nadine Dorries and Chris Pincher.<\/p>\n And he cannot afford to neglect his own seat of Chelsea and Fulham, which is considered a target seat for Labour .<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t take anything for granted,\u201d Mr Hands said.<\/p>\n Despite Labour routinely enjoying a poll lead of around 20 points, he insists he believes another Conservative majority government remains possible.<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely,\u201d he said. \u201cAbsolutely. Absolutely.\u201d<\/p>\n
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