Sunak bustled like a wide-eyed labrador, his tail waggier than a windscreen wiper in a downpour: HENRY DEEDES watches a PM plainly relishing the job
At some point in the far-distant future, parliamentary historians with wild eyebrows may pore over dusty volumes of Commons records and surmise that Rishi Sunak shamelessly bluffed his way through PMQs today.
That he spent much of his time ducking and weaving in between Sir Keir Starmer’s questions, while goading his opponent with shamelessly prepared wisecracks. And, to some extent, the wizened chin strokers would be correct. But that would not tell the full story.
What they may fail to appreciate is that this was a PM plainly relishing the job. We have, lately, become accustomed to the sight of Tories moping around the Commons beset with worries. But here was Mr Sunak bustling like a wide-eyed Labrador, his tail waggier than a windscreen wiper in a downpour.
Similarly, his backbenchers were woofier than they’ve been in many a week. It’s clear from the mood in Westminster at the moment that the Prime Minister’s heroics over his Brexit deal have earned him that most precious commodity: authority. At least for now.
‘Sunak spent much of his time ducking and weaving in between Sir Keir Starmer’s questions, while goading his opponent with shamelessly prepared wisecracks’
‘This was a PM plainly relishing the job. We have, lately, become accustomed to the sight of Tories moping around the Commons beset with worries’
Mr Sunak’s afternoon was helped by Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to focus on the cost of living crisis. I say ‘helped’ because economics is not Sir Keir’s strong suit.
Whenever he gets on to budgetary matters, his face becomes drawn and wracked with uncertainty. A learner driver terrified he’s about to have a prang.
Believe me, as someone who spent many a restless night tossing and turning before a maths test the next morning, I know a fellow struggler when I see one.
Sir Keir’s opener concerned Labour’s outlandish prediction that Britain was on course to be poorer than Poland by 2030. ‘Shocking,’ he honked. He made a wisecrack about Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, the 1980s TV drama about working-class men having to seek work in West Germany. Unfortunately, few MPs got the reference. Oh dear. Politics is a young person’s game these days.
Rishi seemed happy to discuss fiscal matters with his opponent. Unlike Sir Keir, he’s never happier than in the company of numbers. He was, after all, a dreaded banker. Just think of all those mind-numbing hours he must have spent staring at spreadsheets.
The PM mocked Labour’s close ties to the unions and teased Starmer about his trip to Davos in January to hobnob with the cossetted business elite. ‘A rare journey out of North London,’ Rishi quipped. An old Boris joke. Still, it never fails to raise a cackle.
‘Mr Sunak’s afternoon was helped by Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to focus on the cost of living crisis. I say “helped” because economics is not Sir Keir’s strong suit’
The Cream of Camden was unrepentant about schmoozing pinstriped City types. Apparently, they now all consider Labour to be the party of business. In fact, he said, they’d been telling that to Sir Keir at all these power breakfasts he and his Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves had been going to recently. Presumably at these meetings it’s Rachel who does all the talking.
The pair briefly swapped insults about windfall taxes on energy firms. None of their exchanges, though, were really going anywhere. Still, Conservative backbenchers seemed to delight in watching their man enjoy himself.
When Starmer moved on to the subject of housing, Rishi completely ignored him and launched an attack instead on Labour’s plan to ban new energy developments in the North Sea, denouncing the policy as ‘bad for security and bad for the economy — just like the Labour Party!’ The Tory benches roared.
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle nonetheless reminded Sunak that the question had, in fact, been about housing. But the intervention made no difference to Tory MPs. The PM’s soundbite had hit the target. ‘Moooorrre!’ they yelled.
It was only when Starmer reached his last question that he broached the latest Matt Hancock hoo-ha — over care homes during Covid. Sir Keir wanted assurances that the pandemic inquiry would have the resources to conclude its work by the end of the year.
End of the year?! If previous inquiries are any indicator, we’ll be lucky to have it by the end of the century.
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