Sunak under fire for changing Union Flag after 6-word claim

11 June 2024 , 13:17

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Rishi Sunak has been criticised for the blue Union Flag on the cover of the Tory manifesto (Image: Getty Images)

The Tories had their manifesto launch mocked after they made a key change to the Union Flag - despite Rishi Sunak's brutal rant about flags only a few weeks ago.

Following the disastrous fall-out from the Prime Minister dodging D-Day commemorations late last week, the Conservatives were desperately hoping to turn around their car-crash General Election campaign on Tuesday as they unveiled their manifesto at the Silverstone racing track.

But the Prime Minister has now been called out for putting a blue Union Flag on the cover of the manifesto, after harshly criticising Nike for their alterations to the England flag. During the recent row over the multi-coloured St George's cross on England's Euro 2024 kit launch, he said: "When it comes to our national flags, we shouldn't mess with them because they're a source of pride, identity, who we are, and they're perfect as they are."

Rishi Sunak launched the manifesto at Silverstone today in a desperate bid to turn his party's ailing fortunes around

Many were quick to point out his hypocrisy today, one user on X (formerly Twitter) wrote: "It's almost like that whole argument back in March was purely for political gain...". Another said: "It's only missing the splash of purple and it's practically the same as the thing they all got foamy mouthed about. Incredible." Someone else penned: "The cover 'design' reflects the fact that they've lost hope and nothing matters anymore."

It follows another embarrassing Tory gaffe earlier in the campaign where the Union Flag was displayed flying upside down in a party political broadcast. Hanging the flag upside down is traditionally regarded as a coded signal of distress.

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The Prime Minister had said people 'shouldn't mess' with national flags during the recent England kit row (Getty Images)

Labour today branded the General Election manifesto the "most expensive panic attack in history" as Rishi Sunak desperately tried to avoid a historic electoral defeat for his party. Rishi Sunak vowed to cut national insurance again by 2027, while the 76-page document also promises to abolish the main rate of self-employed national insurance entirely by the end of the Parliament. It also pledges to abolish no-fault evictions for renters, though this was also promised in their 2019 manifesto and never delivered.

Pat McFadden, Labour’s National Campaign Coordinator, responding to the Conservatives’ manifesto launch today, said: “This Conservative Manifesto is a recipe for five more years of Tory chaos. After 14 years in power, the Prime Minister’s desperate manifesto published today is stuffed full of unfunded spending commitments. The Prime Minister that was brought in to be the antidote to the chaos of Liz Truss has instead become the next instalment of the same thing.

“Tory desperation leads to costs for the British people. The public is still paying the price of the Conservatives crashing the economy. Now they promise a repeat if they win again leading to higher mortgages and a weaker economy. After today the choice at this election could not be clearer: five more years of chaos with the Conservatives or stability and growth with Labour.”

Benedict Tetzlaff-Deas