Jeremy Corbyn ‘won’ PMQs today thanks to an old-fashioned ambush. The Labour leader had copies of texts that the leader of Surrey County Council thought he was sending to Nick at DCLG, presumably Sajid Javid’s special adviser Nick King, but which he had actually sent to another person. The texts seemed to suggest that a Tory government had done a secret deal with a Tory council to see off a referendum there on raising council tax by 15 per cent to fund social care.
Now, the suggestion that a government—whose Chancellor and Health Secretary are both Surrey MPs—was doing backroom deals with one of the richest county councils in the country was politically explosive. But Theresa May, who doesn’t like speaking until she knows what she is going to say, wasn’t nimble in her responses. Instead, she just stuck to some pre-prepared jibes about Corbyn’s leadership.
The leader of Surrey County Council has now put out a statement saying that there was no deal between the council and central government. But Labour are busy demanding the release of all correspondence relating to this matter.
If there was no deal, then PMQs will just have been a brief relief for Corbyn from the speculation about his position. But if Labour are onto something, then it might allow them to get properly onto the front foot against the government for the first time in months.
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