Labour MPs uneasy over ad claiming Sunak doesn’t think child sexual abusers should be jailed

Shadow ministers privately say they feel ‘uncomfortable’ over ‘distasteful’ ad amid calls for Keir Starmer to apologise

• Politics live - latest updates

Labour frontbenchers have been left uneasy by a “spectacularly misjudged” advert claiming Rishi Sunak does not support jailing child abusers, but party strategists are preparing to double down on the aggressive campaign.

Keir Starmer faced calls to personally apologise and order the retraction of the ad, which a campaign group warned “poisons the water that we all must drink from”.