Prime minister’s questions: a shouty, jeery, very occasionally useful advert for British politics. Here’s what you need to know from the latest session in POLITICO’s weekly run-through.
What they sparred about: Two big choices Keir Starmer has made since entering Downing Street almost two months ago: curbing winter fuel payments for pensioners and suspending some arms exports to Israel. Opposition leader (and former PM) Rishi Sunak asked what the first of those said about Starmer’s priorities: “Why does he choose train drivers over Britain’s vulnerable pensioners?” That’s a reference to pay hikes for striking workers.
Sidenote: Pensioners were the only age group among which Sunak’s defeated Conservatives had a lead in the election.
Everything is (not) fine: The PM hit back, pointing to a publicity blitz to help older people claim pension credit. He trotted out the familiar line that all of this is necessary because of the economic inheritance left by Sunak’s Tories.
Greatest hits moment: The chamber was transported back to the election campaign as Sunak highlighted falling inflation, lower debt and improved growth under his premiership. “The government doesn’t have to choose to take money off low income pensioners in order to give it to highly paid train drivers,” he ventured once again.
Enjoy opposition, lads: Starmer was having none of it. The Conservatives, he said, will be in opposition for a “very, very long time” if they claim everything was fine when they left office.
Further afield: The next dividing line was Israel. Britain has suspended some arms export licenses to Israel amid concern they could be used in Gaza in contravention of international law. Conservatives have criticized the move, while left-wing Labour backbenchers want the government to go further.
Equality before the law: Pressed by Sunak on how all this will help secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, Starmer channeled his inner lawyer. His declaration that the move was a “legal decision not a policy, decision” was met with cries of “nonsense” from Tory MPs.
And across the pond: Sunak pressed the PM on whether all of this had been squared with the U.S. The PM would only confirm “we have talked this through with our allies,” and tried to turn the tables on a Tory party that, in his words, doesn’t “think that international law matters.” Cue jeers from the Tory benches.
Helpful backbench interventions of the week: Labour MP Luke Charters asked Starmer to reaffirm the government’s already-announced planning commitments. Brave stuff.
Totally unscientific scores on the doors: Starmer used his whopping electoral mandate to highlight the change the public voted for … though that doesn’t really stretch to cutting winter fuel payments. Sunak was effective in his choice of topics, highlighting two areas where Starmer faces sharp criticism from his own MPs as well as on the right. Maybe he should give this prime minister thing a go sometime?
Starmer 6/10 … Sunak 7/10 … Political knockabout being well and truly back 100/10.
