Greg Hands deems the distribution of a photograph depicting Rishi Sunak stabbing Boris Johnson in the back to be in “extremely poor taste” in the wake of the passing of fellow Conservative Sir David Amess.
A fellow Conservative MP has labeled as “dangerous” a retweet from Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries depicting Rishi Sunak stabbing Boris Johnson in the back.
The photograph superimposes the portraits of the prime minister and the former chancellor onto those of Roman leader Julius Caesar and Brutus, one of the conspirators who plotted against and killed Caesar.
Greg Hands, who supports the former chancellor in the Tory leadership campaign, said that the social media post was “appalling,”, especially in light of last year’s tragic stabbing of Southend MP Sir David Amess in his district.
“It hasn’t even been a year since Sir David was stabbed, therefore I find this extremely offensive and even dangerous,” he remarked.
“I find it disgusting and, less than a year after our colleague was stabbed, in extremely terrible taste, even bordering on dangerous.”
However, an unnamed supporter of Ms. Dorries who supports Ms. Truss in the leadership contest stated: “It is a satirical photograph of Brutus and Caesar that has been digitally altered to provide political criticism.
“Similar cartoons featuring [Michael] Gove appeared in 2016. Some individuals will seek to intentionally offend others.”
The secretary of culture has been a passionate defender of the prime minister and a harsh critic of those who led to his demise.
It is not the first time she has generated controversy on social media; last week, she tweeted a comparison between the cost of Mr. Sunak’s outfits and the cost of the foreign secretary’s earrings from Claire’s Accessories.
She also published a scathing op-ed in which she accused Mr. Sunak of “planning a coup for a very long time” and said she commented on his attire to “warn Tory members not to be fooled by appearances, as many of us who served in the chancellor’s Cabinet were
Ms. Dorries stated, “Many of us were completely duped by the assassin’s dazzling smile, soft voice, and petite height.”
Mr. Hands, however, stated that the increasingly acrimonious battle to become the next Tory leader – and prime minister of the United Kingdom – must be “fought on the issues and the leadership skills” of the two contenders, as opposed to insults.
Former Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis, who is supporting Ms. Truss in her campaign, stated that the tweet did not reflect the views of the foreign secretary, adding, “I would never tweet something like that.”
He told that Ms. Dorries is “famous for her strong opinions” and “speaks for herself,” but added: “I believe we must all remember that we are a single party, unite, and cooperate.
“We will have differing opinions, and the entire purpose of the leadership campaign is for the candidates and their teams to articulate those differences so that the members can choose who they believe is the greatest person to lead our party and the country.”
In the meantime, candidates continue to make policy arguments to members of the Conservative Party, who will begin voting this week.
Mr. Sunak has committed to implementing a temporary £10 punishment for NHS patients who miss a GP visit, but Ms. Truss has billed herself as the “education prime minister” with a plan to replace failing academies with “a new wave of free schools.”
