Rishi Sunak has been accused of “pointless posturing” in a campaign video focused on shredding EU regulations which has been likened to a parody.
The Tory leadership candidate vowed to use his first 100 days if elected prime minister to “review or repeal post-Brexit EU laws”.
Mr Sunak tweeted: “A new Brexit delivery unit. Reviewing every EU law on our statute book. Starting in my first 100 days. Let’s keep Brexit safe”.
The video opens with a close-up of a folded piece of paper stuck to a door, which reads “Brexit Delivery Department”. A man enters, brining in a shredder and stacks and boxes of paper, with the top sheets reading “EU Legislation”, “EU Red Tape”, and “EU Bureaucracy”.
“Hmm,” the man says, with his hands on his hips, surveying the scene.
A message reads: “In his first 100 days as prime minister, Rishi Sunak will review or repeal post-Brexit EU laws…
“All 2,400 of them.”
Paper reading “EU Legislation” is then put through the shredder, leaving a pile of shredded paper, with the campaign slogan saying: “Keep Brexit Safe.”
Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, which is also used as the anthem of the European Union, is played as the documents are shredded.
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran said: “This is more pointless posturing over Europe, when people are crying out for help with soaring energy bills.
“Hard-working families want the Government to deliver a plan to get this country through the cost of living emergency and NHS crisis, not spending taxpayer money combing through retained EU legislation.”
Some Twitter users criticised it for being “embarrassing”, “abysmally executed”, “cringe”, and “the worst campaign video ever created”.
Author and TV presenter Richard Osman said on Twitter: “And this video, with every respect in the world, is why it would be useful to have an arts graduate on your team.”
BBC presenter Gary Lineker also mocked the video, tweeting: “Love these political parody accounts.”
Labour MSP Paul Sweeney said: “This guy has ‘failed BBC Apprentice candidate on Team Agility’ energy.”
The Sunak campaign said the video was meant to portray a key pledge to members in a fun way.
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A campaign source said the Lib Dem opposition was “understandable” given the party’s Brexit stance. They added: “We’re glad so many more people now know Rishi’s commitment to create a Brexit Delivery Department following the release of this video.”
