Prime Minister’s Questions: A very occasionally useful introduction to British politics. Here’s what you need to know from the latest session of POLITICO’s weekly run-through.
What they quarreled about: Keir Starmer has made two big choices since entering Downing Street nearly two months ago: curbing winter fuel payments for pensioners and suspending some arms exports to Israel. Opposition leader (and former prime minister) Rishi Sunak asked what the first of those says about Starmer’s priorities: “Why are they choosing train drivers over Britain’s poor pensioners?” It is a reference to salary increase for striking workers.
Sidenote: Pensioners were the only age group from which Sunac’s defeated Conservatives gained an electoral lead.
everything is fine (not) The PM hit back, hinting at a publicity blitz to help older people claim pension credit. He trotted out the well-known line that all this was necessary because of the economic legacy left by Sunak’s Tories.
Best Hit Moment: The chamber was drawn into the re-election campaign as Sunak highlighted falling inflation, lower debt and improved growth under his premiership. “The government should not choose to take money from low-income pensioners to give it to highly paid train drivers,” he once again ventured.
Enjoy the protest, boys: Starmer was none of that. He said the Conservatives would be in opposition “for a very, very long time” if they claimed everything was fine when they left office.
Further away: The next dividing line was Israel. Britain has suspended some arms export licenses to Israel amid concerns they could be used in Gaza in violation of international law. The Conservatives have criticized the move, while left-wing Labor backbenchers want the government to go further.
Equality before law: Pressed by Sunak on how all this would help get the hostages released by Hamas, Starmer told his internal lawyer. His declaration that the move was a “legislative decision, not a policy decision” was met with shouts of “nonsense” from Tory MPs.
And across the pond: Sunak pressed the PM on whether it was all about the US. was squared with The PM would simply confirm that “we have spoken to our colleagues about this” and try to turn the tables on the Tory party, which is not his word. “Think International Law Matters.” Cue jeers from the Tory bench.
Helpful Backbench Interventions of the Week: Labor MP Luke Charters asked Starmer to reaffirm the government’s already announced planning commitments. Brave stuff.
Totally unscientific scores on the door: Starmer used his heavy electoral mandate to highlight the changes the public had voted for … although he didn’t actually cut 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 from the right. Maybe he should give this Prime Minister thing a go sometime?
Starmer 6/10 …altar 7/10 … The political backwardness returned to the healthy and true sense 100/10.
Post PMQs scorecard: Sunak punches Starmer on pensioners and Israel appeared first Politico.