Sir Keir Starmer has condemned as “desperate” a Tory attack advert depicting people with their hands up and urging voters not to “surrender” to Labour.
Rishi Sunak shared the poster on X showing a picture of a man, woman and child holding their hands in the air as if at gunpoint.
The text on the image reads “don’t surrender your family’s future to Labour”, doubling down on a warning issued by the Prime Minister repeatedly during his final head-to-head TV debate with Sir Keir.
The Labour leader told reporters during a campaign visit to Staffordshire on Thursday: “This is really desperate stuff and I’m surprised by it.
“I think it underlines the difference between the two campaigns now. They are running a very negative campaign, nothing about the future of the country.
“I’m very happy to be the candidate going into the final week who is putting forward a more positive case for the change the country needs.”
Mr Sunak urged voters not to “surrender” to Labour’s tax, welfare and migration plans more than a dozen times in Wednesday night’s heated BBC exchange.
The Prime Minister defended the latest Conservative campaign advert when challenged over its controversial imagery.
He told broadcasters in Derbyshire: “This is an incredibly important election, and there’s an important choice for people. And I don’t want people to sleepwalk into something.
“I believe that a Labour government would be very damaging for our country.
“I get that people are frustrated with me and our party, but this is not a by-election. This is a choice about our future, and that choice will have severe consequences for people’s financial security.”
But the poster drew criticism online.
Brendan Cox, who was married to murdered MP Jo Cox, tweeted: “Labour are going to gun down your family. Don’t pretend you weren’t warned… Er…”
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