Sir Keir Starmer is going to crush any dissent against him in a Soviet-style crackdown, a senior Tory MP claims. Esther McVey suggested the UK will start to see "Soviet Starmer" in the coming weeks as he battles to save his premiership from a looming leadership threat from Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham.

Ms McVey warned Daily Expresso podcast listeners that Sir Keir is like Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. She warned he is going to betray the Brexit over 15 million people voted for; has introduced price controls and is pursuing renationalisation as well as buying oil from Russia rather than drilling in the North Sea. The MP for Tatton added: "He is going to crush any dissent against him. If he doesn't like what you say, if he doesn't like what you believe in, if you challenge him in any way, he will crush that."

She alleged there was evidence of crushing dissenting views in his response to the Unite the Kingdom march on May 16, when supporters of Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, a.k.a. Tommy Robinson, and his supporters rallied in central London.

This included the use of live facial recognition technology and describing the event as a hate march, according to the senior Conservative. She said: "I call it 'Maximum Starmerism."

She went on to describe "Soviet Starmer" as a ruthless, but weakened Prime Minister, pointing to suspended Labour MP Karl Turner's accusation against No.10 of issuing "hostile briefings" against him and smears about his mental health.

Mr Turner, who now sits as an Independent MP for Kingston upon Hull East, had the Labour whip removed in March after levelling criticism at the Government, including its plans to limit jury trials.

In Parliament on Wednesday, Mr Turner claimed the "lads in Number 10" had dealt out smears about his mental health and Sir Keir allowed it to happen.

He recalled the suicide of his nephew due to work-related stress, asking if the PM had reflected on the "discriminatory briefings" he "allowed to happen".

Sir Keir replied that nobody should be smeared in relation to mental health.

This week saw Treasury Minister Dan Tomlinson refute claims the Government was talking to supermarkets about capping prices of certain goods to ease cost-of-living pressures.

Supermarket bosses have said caps on the cost of essential food would be “completely preposterous” and “idiotic”.

Sir Keir was also forced this week to defend the watering down of new sanctions on Russian oil. A trade license, which came into effect on Wednesday, allows the import of Russian oil that has been refined into jet fuel and diesel in third countries such as India and Turkey. The UK announced in October it would ban imports of such products.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused the Government of "choosing to buy dirty Russian oil" while continuing to defend a ban on new British oil and gas licences.

The Prime Minister said the “strong new package” of sanctions went “well beyond” existing measures.

On Brexit, Sir Keir on Monday said the UK inherited a really bad deal former prime minister Boris Johnson negotiated.

He said it was a botched deal which failed to work for the country or business and he has reset relations with the European Union to improve on it.

Sir Keir said the UK will be brought closer to the EU, with "a really important leap forward" at a summit in the summer.

The Government is bringing train companies into public ownership and legislation is going through Parliament which will pave the way for ministers to take control of parts of Britain's steel industry.

Sir Keir said previously that the Unite the Kingdom rally’s organisers were “peddling hatred and division”.

A No 10 spokeswoman said ahead of that rally and another for Palestine: “The first thing to say is that we understand that many law-abiding people plan on coming out to peacefully protest this weekend, and to those people we promise that we will always stand up for your right to protest and for freedom of speech.

“But with that freedom does come responsibility to use voices with decency and with respect, and to anyone who is seeking to break the law and create chaos, they can expect to feel the full force of the law.”