At PMQs we saw the next year of politics condensed into a few seconds. Sir Keir Starmer asked the PM why he declined to call an election. ‘My working assumption is that the election will be in the second half of the year,’ said Rishi. So there it is. A date in October rather than January 2025. And he confidently expects to lose which is why he urged Labour’s Dan Carden to ‘chat with his shadow chancellor about her plan to impose £28 billion of tax rises on everyone.’
Sir Keir harried the PM on Rwanda which he called ‘a gimmick’ constantly. The g-word, clearly favoured by focus groups, was thrown across the aisle five times, and Rishi offered no substantial defence. Rwanda is a gift-wrapped, triple-layered vote-winner for Labour. First, on funding, second, on timing, third, on efficiency. Sir Keir is free to pluck figures out of thin air when he estimates the budget of the failed deportation scheme.
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