Rishi Sunak’s latest PR efforts have once again been ripped apart, this time because he has promised to “keep Brexit safe”.
The Tory leadership hopeful is currently behind Liz Truss in the polls among Conservative Party members.
He has therefore felt the need to bolster his pro-Brexit credentials - despite being a Brexiteer and his opponent originally campaigning for Remain.
On Monday, he released a new campaign video – significantly less slick than his previous PR work – which follows a person around as they dump huge stacks of paper into one small room with a paper sign on the door saying: “Brexit Delivery Department.”
The papers are labelled “EU red tape”, and for half of the one-minute video, the person moving the documents around can be seen gathering all of the documents together (although their face is never shown).
Then, they crack their fingers and start shredding the papers.
It is part of Sunak’s promise to build a new Brexit delivery unit which “in his first 100 days as prime minister” would see him review or repeal post-Brexit EU laws. There are 2,400 at the moment.
It is worth noting that there is already a Brexit opportunities and government efficiency department, headed up by Jacob Rees-Mogg.
The words “Keep Brexit safe, vote Rishi Sunak today” appear across the screen in the last 10 seconds, as triumphant orchestral music plays.
It is an especially bold claim as Brexit has been under more criticism than ever in recent months due to delays at the Dover port for passengers going to France, problems with the Northern Ireland protocol and questions over exactly what Brexit advantages the UK is able to enjoy right now.
The video also comes two and a half years after Boris Johnson, the outgoing Tory prime minister, promised that he “got Brexit done” by securing a deal with the EU.
With the cost of living crisis worsening, a second summer heatwave around the corner and increasingly worrying reports emerging about the state of the NHS, Sunak’s new video was not an instant success.
Here’s how people responded to his efforts: