God. What a grisly PMQs. Last week, Sir Keir Starmer politicised the case of an NHS patient who died before an ambulance could save her. Today he tried to make a political point about a murder. ‘It’s hard to convey the agony they’ve been through,’ he said of a meeting with the victim’s family, ‘They say the government has blood on its hands.’
Poor taste. And poor tactics. His real aim today was to destabilise the forgetful minister, Nadhim Zawahi. By using a family’s grief as a warm-up act, he created a gruesomely funereal mood – when he turned to Tory sleaze it seemed stagey and opportunistic.
Rishi Sunak is the wrong man to patronise
Zahawi is the keen-as-mustard member for Stratford-upon-Avon who refers to the Bard as, ‘my constituent, William Shakespeare.’ Although he joined the low-tax party, it seems he overdid things. Millions have been repaid. Many questions have yet to be settled.
Rishi Sunak’s first answer was as wobbly as a jelly in an earthquake. He claimed that the relevant events took place before he became Prime Minister, ‘and the usual appointments process was followed and no issues raised were with me.’ This arid language screams evasion and insincerity. Sir Keir struck back and asked why Rishi had changed his position since last week. Bad move. Wrong question. Rishi had already explained that he’d set up an enquiry when new details emerged.
‘I know he reads from these prepared sheets but he should listen to what I actually said.’
Point to Rishi. But Sir Keir still had the upper hand and he made a sly reference to Mrs Sunak’s non-dom status.
‘We know why he was reluctant to ask (Zahawi) about his family finances and tax avoidance.’ The Labour side loved that. ‘More,’ they yelled, ‘more!’ Rishi glared sourly back. Sir Keir leaned forward, softened his voice and adopted a ‘concerned careworker’ manner:
‘He’s overseeing chaos, he’s overwhelmed at every turn…I’m starting to wonder if this job is just too big for him?’
Tony Blair might have flung that one at John Major. But Rishi is the wrong man to patronise. He comes to PMQs with his neatly-combed skull full of historical factoids that can crush an opponent. He boasted that he remained consistent even when it was difficult to do so, whereas Sir Keir was happy to change his principles.
‘For four long years he sat next to (Jeremy Corbyn) when anti-Semitism ran rife.’
Rishi survived this assault, just about, helped by Sir Keir’s inefficient strategy. To create terminal trouble for Zahawi, Sir Keir needs to fire all six rounds at him.
Stephen Flynn of the SNP had a go. Flynn is impressively eloquent and he carries himself with an air of palpable menace. Under Stalin he’d be the man in charge of training at the Lubyanka. But the individual he most wants to impress is himself. He probably spent all morning crafting his brilliant question – which promptly bombed. His idea was to include Boris, Zahawi and Mrs Sunak in a single query and to invite Rishi to help them with their tax affairs. Would he advise getting a loan arranged by a future BBC chair, or setting up an off-shore tax-haven, or applying for non-dom status? Clever stuff. Like an amusing letter in the newspaper. But PMQs is a quickfire session and he spent ages getting through his charge-sheet.
In reply, Rishi had no trouble flannelling about the inquiry which has to complete its work. Long-term, Zahawi is probably done for. Today we watched him being gently lowered into the toaster.
Comments