In November last year, Theresa May was hauled in front of the Liaison Committee (a super committee made up of the chairs of other select committees) to be grilled about her Brexit strategy. It’s fair to say that it didn’t go particularly well for the Prime Minister, who faced barbed questions from the likes of Sarah Wollaston and Yvette Cooper about her fitness to lead, and whether she had adequately prepared for the negotiations.
It appears that the memory left such a bad taste in the Prime Minister’s mouth, that she’s been avoiding the committee ever since. In a series of letters exchanged between Wollaston (the chair) and the PM, May has sought to avoid appearing in front of the committee again, though outlining her commitment to attend at least three times a year.
But Mr Steerpike has noticed that the Prime Minister’s office appears to have gone one step further now, and seems to be avoiding answering letters from the committee altogether. The Liaison Committee website shows that their most recent correspondence was a letter sent by the committee on 28 January, inviting Theresa May to give evidence on 27 and 28 February. Which is, of course, today and tomorrow. Remarkably, it appears that the Prime Minister’s office hasn’t even bothered to respond yet to the most important committee in parliament, never mind actually turn them down.
A Number 10 spokesperson has responded that ‘The Prime Minister always fulfils her obligations to parliament and regularly appears in front of the Liaison Committee, including in November and July last year. We are currently working to determine the next date that she will attend.’
Mr S wonders if the PM is too frightened to respond, or it’s just another sign of how well things are running inside Number 10.
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