RISHI Sunak has been criticised for trying to laugh off a question put to him during an interview with BBC Radio Tees about the timing of the next General Election.
Host Amy Oakden put the question to the Prime Minister saying it was the "overwhelming" question that listeners to the channel wanted to ask. Sunak responded by laughing, and brushing the question off as though he had just been asked the most ridiculous thing ever: such as being asked what he thought about a cocky and asininely offensive wannabe comedian who had publicly humiliated themselves in the first round of auditions for Britain's Got Talent.
But enough about Suella Braverman.
Sunak does this quite often in interviews when he's asked a question that he doesn't wish to answer, laughing at the very notion that the question is even being asked. He probably thinks it's a charming way of disarming the interviewer, but it actually comes across as entitled and arrogant. But then, entitled and arrogant are two of the defining characteristics of Sunak's government.
A listener said: "Please ask the Prime Minister why he hasn't got the guts to call an election right now?"
To which Sunak replied that that's not what people ask him when he's out and about. They literally did just that, pal.
Sunak's response to a member of the public asking him to call a General Election is to insist that members of the public never ask him to call a General Election.
The Liberal Democrats were not impressed. Helen Morgan, the party's local government spokesperson, said: "Rishi Sunak laughing in the face of people crying out for change is the perfect example of how careless, callous and chaotic this Conservative party is.”
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It is of course obvious why Sunak doesn't want to address this question. It's because he knows he is set to lead the Conservatives to a historic and humiliating defeat – and to go down in the annals of British political history along with his two predecessors as one of the three worst prime ministers in history.
Boris Johnson will be remembered for having destroyed Britain's international reputation and standing in the world. Liz Truss will be remembered for having destroyed the British economy. Rishi Sunak will be remembered for having destroyed the Conservative party.
Meanwhile, The Times newspaper has reported that Sunak still intends to call the election in the second half of the year: "When people feel that things are improving."
His problem there is that most people will only feel that things are improving when he and his chaotic bunch of corrupt and incompetent quasi-fascists are out of office.
Sunak has also found time in his busy schedule of pretending no one is interested in when we are going to have a General Election to wade into the culture war.
He has been making overblown misrepresentations against the Scottish Hate Crime Act, saying that he supports JK Rowling, and he will always defend freedom of speech. Except if you peacefully protest against genocide, then free speech is a hate march and you are an extremist.
Israel
Israel has come under international criticism for an attack on an aid convoy which was bringing much needed food into Gaza. The attack on the World Central Kitchen (WCK) convoy left seven aid workers dead including three British citizens.
The aid workers were travelling in clearly marked vehicles and had previously coordinated their movements with the Israeli Defence Forces. The charity said the convoy was hit as it was leaving the Deir al-Balah warehouse in northern Gaza, where its team had unloaded more than 100 tonnes of humanitarian food aid taken to Gaza on a maritime route from Cyprus.
With Gaza now facing famine, WCK has halted its vital work as the safety of its staff cannot be guaranteed – despite liaising with the trigger-happy Israeli military.
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In a rare show of British government displeasure with Israel, Foreign Secretary David Cameron has called for a "full, transparent explanation" for the attack.
A spokesperson for the Israeli military has expressed "sincere sorrow" over the deaths, but stopped short of accepting responsibility for it.
Israel's problem is that these incidents happen repeatedly. The United Nations and other international groups have accused Israel of hindering aid distribution and failing to ensure the security of food convoys, as illustrated by an incident on February 29 in which around 100 people were killed as they waited for an aid delivery. Video footage apparently showed unarmed civilians who posed no threat being shot by Israeli forces.
Meanwhile Labour's Pat McFadden (above), the shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and a key ally of Keir Starmer, has claimed the party has not seen evidence that Israel is breaking international law in Gaza and said that a Labour government would continue to sell it arms.
This is despite the fact that a recording leaked this week has revealed that the British Government has received legal advice that Israel is breaking international humanitarian law with its actions in Gaza, where over 32,000 Palestinians have now died.
The comments will only worsen the growing rebellion in Labour's ranks caused by deep disquiet about Starmer's uncritically pro-Israel stance in the conflict in Gaza.
This piece is an extract from today’s REAL Scottish Politics newsletter, which is emailed out at 7pm every weekday with a round-up of the day's top stories and exclusive analysis from the Wee Ginger Dug.
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