Keir Starmer is ashamed of his party

Questions from backbenchers dominated PMQs. Sir Edward Leigh is keen to end unfettered immigration and he announced a way to stop the boats that might actually stop the boats. ‘Detain all those who land illegally on our shores and offshore them immediately,’ he said. His specific goal was to prevent children from being shoved onto leaky inflatables crewed by emaciated refugees who paddle across channel at the dead of night. ‘End this callous trade,’ he said, citing the risks to innocent kids. No one could quibble with that. The PM agreed. 

‘He’s right,’ said Rishi. He then announced a different stop the boats policy that will never stop the boats. He turned Sir Edward’s central idea – automatic deportation – into a softer policy of free hotels, ping-pong in the lobby and writing out application forms in the hope of gaining permanent residency. Rishi called this ‘removing people who shouldn’t be here by removing the reason for them coming.’ A strange feat of sophistry. The PM had stated plainly that Sir Edward was ‘right’ but he then outlined the contrary plan. 

Rishi wasn’t the only one playing games. Sir Keir Starmer has quietly rebranded the Labour movement as ‘the changed Labour party’. In recent weeks this phrase has started to crop up in his questions at PMQs. Not frequently. Just here and there. It’s like ‘New Labour’ without the fanfare. The Tories should exploit this subterfuge because it reveals a valuable truth about their foe. Sir Keir feels ashamed of his party’s heritage and he dislikes his grassroots supporters. 

Angela Richardson, MP for Guildford, said that the number of chemists on her patch has halved. But she sees this disaster as a personal triumph. Her lengthy question gave us a fascinating glimpse into how Britain is really run.