Backlash over 'antisemitic' Tory attack on Starmer

Keir Starmer has accused the Conservatives of "desperate" tactics amid claims that Tory criticism of his defence of family time was insensitive and had antisemitic undertones.

- Ben Quinn , Peter Walker , Kiran Stacey

With Rishi Sunak embarking on a marathon day of campaigning, beginning with a pre-dawn visit to a distribution centre and closing with a late-night rally, Tory ministers and aides sought to contrast these efforts with what they termed Starmer's "part-time" approach.

As an increasingly personal election campaign entered its final day, the Conservatives pushed out "final warnings" about what they said a massive Labour majority would mean for taxes, migration and other policy areas.

Downing Street chiefs believe the criticism of Starmer for saying he would maintain his current habit of trying to spend time with his wife and children after 6pm on Fridays "pretty well come what may" has resonated with voters.

However, it has prompted anger, with senior Jewish figures saying the decision to target such a culturally significant time of the week -Starmer's wife, Victoria, comes from a Jewish family - was ill-judged and deeply unfair.

"I would have thought to anybody it's blindingly obvious that a Friday night is quite important in some religions and faiths," Starmer told reporters during a campaign stopover in Derbyshire.

Calling the attacks "laughably pathetic", the Labour leader said that his comments in a radio interview the day before had simply been to set out how he tried to keep Friday evenings aside for his family and would do so if elected prime minister, adding: "But I know very well it's going to be really difficult to do it."

Starmer said the aim was to create "protected time" for his children, his wife, Victoria, and her father: "Obviously her dad's side of the family is Jewish, as people will appreciate, and we use that for family prayers - not every Friday but not infrequently.