Boris Johnson has just had a particularly bad Prime Minister’s Questions, underlining his poor grip not just on the second jobs row but on other aspects of his own job. Sir Keir Starmer has had a fair bit of bad luck since becoming Labour leader, having to self-isolate five times as a result of positive Covid tests or contacts, but today he was able to make a rare appearance in person. And he really turned up to work. He was at his most forceful since he became leader, accusing Johnson of being a ‘coward, not a leader’ and giving the ‘green light for corruption’.
Starmer opened his six questions by asking about the government’s forthcoming integrated rail review, which is expected to drop commitments on lines in the north of England. Johnson tried to prevaricate on this by saying Starmer should wait for the review to come out. After two questions and an accusation that the Prime Minister was producing ‘a lot of words’ but no answer, the Labour leader moved on to the meat of his attacks. He reminded the Chamber that many other senior Conservatives including the Leader of the House and Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng had apologised for their handling of the Owen Paterson case – but that Johnson had not.
Johnson tried to defend himself by pointing to his plans announced yesterday for a ban on certain consultancy work and a ‘reasonable limit’ on the amount of time MPs spend on second jobs. He also complained that Starmer himself had been offered work by the law firm Mishcon de Reya, in effect suggesting that while the Tories were bad, so were their opponents. It’s hardly inspiring stuff when a politician starts to resort to this kind of deflection. Still less so when Johnson then drew the ire of the Speaker. Lindsay Hoyle has been growing progressively more irritated with the government over its dismissive treatment of parliament, and with Johnson for refusing to give answers at Prime Minister’s Questions. Today that frustration reached a new, dramatic, height as he told Johnson to ‘sit down!’ before pointing out that he was the one in charge in the Commons. Johnson then said: ‘Mr Speaker, I refer to the right hon. gentleman’s “Mish-conduct”.’ It was almost as though he was a child hauled up in front of the class for swearing at the teacher, only to claim they’d actually been talking about ducks and had been misheard. Hoyle responded with a lecture about the way this debate had not shown the House in a good light.
If Johnson had hoped that his most uncomfortable stint at the despatch box was over, he was wrong: Lib Dem leader Ed Davey had a salient question on ambulance waiting times, and towards the end Tory Northern Research Group leader Jake Berry drew a foul look from the Prime Minister by asking whether voters in the north had been right to take him at his word when it came to promises on rail improvements.
It’s hardly inspiring stuff when a politician starts to resort to this kind of deflection
Starmer even managed to get the final line in when Tory Michael Fabricant demanded that he withdraw the ‘coward’ line as it is unparliamentary language. Starmer obliged, saying: ‘I withdraw. But he’s no leader.’ It would have been difficult on the basis of today’s performance to argue against that last assertion.
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