Sir Keir Starmer has made clear he will not pursue Sunak's battle against "wokeness" in the civil service, comparing Rishi Sunak to a "jumped up milk monitor".
He used today's Prime Minister's Questions to criticise recent plans from Sunak's Government to ban rainbow lanyards in the civil service.
Speaking at their weekly despatch box clash in the Commons, Starmer said: "Doesn't he think that, rather than confiscating lanyards like some jumped up milk monitor, he should stop issuing get of jail free cards to prisoners considered a risk to children."
Starmer said the Prime Minister’s focus should be on the “chaos” facing prisons instead of “colourful lanyards”.
Sir Keir Starmer has made clear he will not pursue Sunak's battle against "wokeness" in the civil service, comparing Rishi Sunak to a "jumped up milk monitor".
PA
Opening PMQs, the Labour leader told the Commons: “On Monday the Prime Minister treated us to his seventh relaunch in 18 months, he vowed to take on the dangers that threaten the country.
"So it was good to see the minister for common sense [Esther McVey] immediately take up that mantle by announcing a vital crackdown on the gravest of threats, colourful lanyards.
“Meanwhile, in the real world, after 14 years of Tory Government, the prison system is in chaos. Does the Prime Minister think that his decision to let prisoners out 70 days early, makes our country more secure?”
Sunak replied: “Civil service impartiality is an important principle that we’re right to support, perhaps he could ask his chief of staff (Sue Gray) about that?”
He added: “Actually on Monday, what I did do is outline the serious security threats that our country faces from an axis of authoritarian states – Russia poisoning people on our streets, China targeting our democracy, Iranian proxies firing on British ships.
“And yet, he won’t back our plan to increase defence spending. Now, we all know why, especially with the deputy leader (Angela Rayner) and indeed the shadow foreign secretary (David Lammy) who voted to scrap our nuclear deterrent, it’s clear that you simply can’t trust Labour with our country’s security.”
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Yesterday, Esther McVey announced a ban on rainbow-coloured and other “random” lanyards in the civil service, as part of an effort to crack down on "woke".
Speaking at the Tory Centre for Policy Studies, McVey said: “I want a very simple but visible change to occur to the lanyards we use to carry our security passes [which] shouldn’t be a random pick and mix.
"They should be a standard design reflecting that we are all members of the Government delivering for the citizens of the UK.
“Working in the civil service is all about leaving your political views at the building entrance.
"Trying to introduce them by the back door via lanyards should not happen. The focus should be on a happy and inclusive working environment and increased productivity.”