Sir Keir Starmer has been slammed for “staggering hypocrisy” after complaining that Tories had failed to support his Labour colleague Jess Phillips – despite his own party accusing Rishi Sunak of being soft on child abuse.

The Prime Minister said “a line has been crossed” when billionaire businessman Elon Musk called Home Office Minister Ms Phillips a “rape genocide apologist”.

And Sir Keir attacked the Conservatives failing to back Ms Phillips, saying: “I think only a few months ago, it would have been unthinkable for things to have been said about Jess Phillips (that) were said recently without all political parties and the leader of the opposition calling it out in terms.”

But critics pointed out that Labour, under Sir Keir’s leadership, launched a similar attack on former Tory Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

A social media post published by Labour in April 2023 said: “Do you think adults convicted of sexually assaulting children should go to prison? Rishi Sunak doesn’t.”

A Tory source said: “The hypocrisy from Two Tier Keir and his Labour Party is staggering.

“After he and his top team wheeled out these misleading attack graphics, he is now is once again trying to avoid any and all scrutiny by positioning himself on some apparent moral high ground – but the British public will see right through this desperate façade, and know that if Labour were at all serious about tackling heinous sexual crimes against children they would back our calls for a full public inquiry.”

Defending Labour’s attacks on Mr Sunak at the time, Ms Phillips told podcast The Political Party: “I’m fine with the advert. I would have gladly defended it.

“The data that it was based on, I’d been saying it all over the news already. And then I was a bit like, what’s everyone bitching and moaning about? It’s alright.”

And Sir Keir defended the adverts, saying: “I stand by every word”.