Rishi Sunak’s fleet-footed performance at Prime Minister’s Questions exposed many of Keir Starmer’s shortcomings as Prime Minister. Sunak is the most effective opposition leader since Tony Blair and he mauled Sir Keir today with a blend of decent gags and wily tactics. The Tory leader has the advantage of resembling a human being, while Sir Keir seems as cold and lifeless as an oil drum. Starmer has only three debating tactics. Blame the Tories, blame the Tories, blame the Tories.
The Tory leader has the advantage of resembling a human being
Sunak opened with a joke about Sue Gray in relation to Labour’s new deal for workers. When, he asked, did Sir Keir become a fan of fire-and-rehire? The PM huffed that his industrial policy would ‘restore dignity’ to employees after the Tories had ‘failed for 14 long years.’
The Tory leader asked about Labour’s vow not to raise National Insurance contributions. Sir Keir mounted his high horse and claimed that he was unable to answer. ‘I’m not going to get drawn into these issues,’ he said, pretending that budgetary decisions must be cloaked in silence. But Sunak hadn’t mentioned the Budget. He wanted Sir Keir ‘to clarify his own promise’ about NI contributions.
Another pratfall from Sir Keir. ‘We set out our promises in our manifesto,’ he said vaguely. ‘I stick to my promises,’ he added. By dodging the question he had conceded. NI contributions are likely to rise. Sir Keir then clobbered Sunak unexpectedly. He asked why the Tory leader hadn’t praised Labour for attracting billions in new investment from Amazon, Blackstone and other foreign firms.
‘I’m happy to welcome investment that my government negotiated,’ said Sunak.
Then he moved to the rules on government borrowing which Labour proposes to change. In opposition, Rachel Reeves had called such an adjustment ‘fiddling the books.’
What did Sir Keir think? Well, Sir Keir didn’t think anything. He couldn’t offer a single thought on the matter. Instead he trundled out his favourite piece of domestic apparatus, ‘the black hole.’
‘This is literally the man who the crashed the economy,’ he said, instead of mentinoning the borrowing rules. ‘Why did they leave a £22 billion black hole in our finances?’
Rishi asked about ‘fiddling the books’ again. ‘Does he agree with the Chancellor?’
Sir Keir’s answer was desperate. ‘He’s back to his old script. “They’ve never had it so good.”’
Beneath the waffle, Sir Keir admitted to two policy changes in the space of a few minutes at the despatch box. An easy win for Rishi.
A bombshell landed in the debate when Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davy spoke up for the fishermen of the Falkland Islands. He asked Sir Keir to approach the negotiating table and to ‘remember the overseas territories.’ Oh dear. Rather like the Chagos Islands which Sir Keir has just discarded on a whim, and in return for next to nothing?
Sir Keir realised that the sovereignty of Falklands was now under scrutiny in the Commons and he rushed to their defence. But instead of mentioning political principle or democratic tradition he cited a member of his family.
‘My uncle nearly lost his life when his ship was torpedoed defending the Falklands,’ he said. ‘With me, it’s personal,’ he added menacingly.
That won’t reassure overseas territories that currently enjoy Crown protection. If Sir Keir doesn’t feel emotionally involved, he may just throw them away like a used tissue. His feeble reply will cause jitters in Gibraltar, Cyprus, Bermuda, Montserrat, and so on. The Falklands too. Every territory is now at risk.
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