Outrage as Keir Starmer set to go on holiday despite riots - but still no COBRA meeting
Sir Keir Starmer is set to jet off on his first holiday as Prime Minister, as mounting opposition grows to his hands-off approach.
Sir Keir Starmer is facing mounting criticism this morning after it emerged he is planning to leave for his first holiday as Prime Minister despite the rioting crisis.
The revelations of the Prime Minister’s plan for a summer break emerged last night, with Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner set to take the helm of Government in his place.
However the timing of the break echoes concerns voiced when he pledged during the election campaign to try and take Friday evenings off for family time.
This morning, Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick condemned the PM’s choice as “completely wrong”.
Mr Jenrick blasted: “It would be completely wrong of the Prime Minister to go on holiday whilst parts of Britain are burning”.
He insisted: “This is a very serious situation, and we need the Prime Minister to be leading the country, the police need our full support and need to know that he is there supporting them, making sure this situation is being handled from the very top”.
Asked why Ms Rayner’s deputising would not be sufficient, Mr Jenrick emphasised that the crisis is so serious it must be handled by the Prime Minister personally.
It is understood that the Prime Minister is working this weekend, and will be in Downing Street next week, before going on holiday.
However Mr Jenrick's criticism echoed concerns from his fellow leadership rivals that Sir Keir Starmer’s response has been lacking.
The Government’s crisis centre, COBRA, is still yet to be convened, despite Labour making hay out of Boris Johnson’s failure to attend its meetings at the start of the Covid pandemic.
This morning, Home Office minister Diana Johnson insisted a COBRA meeting is not on the cards at present, saying she’s “not aware” of any plans but insisting the PM is holding meetings with chief constables and senior ministers to coordinate a response.
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However former security minister Tom Tugendhat slammed the failure to hold a meeting of the crisis centre despite six days of serious unrest.
Mr Tugendhat fumed: “Day 6. Why hasn’t a COBR been called? Still no plan from Government on ending the violence on our streets”.
“Extremism and lawlessness cannot be tolerated. This has to stop.
“What is taking Labour so long?”
He warned that law and order is “at risk” and the Government “must act before this situation spirals further out of control”.
Meanwhile Priti Patel went further, demanding that Parliament be recalled to debate the crisis.
The former Home Secretary said that boasting that the nation is “braced for disorder” is “not only breathtakingly complacent, but both troubling and inadequate”.
“The Government is now in danger of appearing to be swept away with events rather than maintaining control of them.”
She demanded parliament be recalled so MPs can call out the violence and “speak with one voice in condemnation”.
This morning a Labour MP defending Sir Keir’s plans to jet off in a week’s time, and insisted that the Prime Minister “has to have family time”
Chris Webb, MP for Blackpool South, insisted that the PM would be “continuing to work and monitor the situation" from holiday”, and promised: “we've got an excellent Deputy Prime Minister”.
