PMQs sketch: Cummings and goings — but Jeremy Corbyn is still there
After nearly a two-week absence, Boris Johnson has reemerged. Coronavirus or Cummingsvirus enforced isolation? We can only guess. Despite not having not quite fulfilled the required 14-days quarantine period, the Prime Minister appeared for the weekly questions session in the Commons.
Oh, Jeremy Corbyn turned up too. The limpet-like Labour leader, still holding on for another few weeks, not surprisingly focused his questions on the government’s response to the devastating floods gripping parts of the country. He mocked the Prime Minister for hiding at his “grace and favour mansion” as people suffered. Unfortunately for Corbyn, he started his questions by praising the work of those helping communities hit by the floods — deputy leadership candidate Dawn Butler was smirking next to him. Awkward.
In the end it didn’t matter. The Leader of the Opposition’s questions were as weak as some of the softballs thrown at Johnson from his own backbenches.
On-and-on Corbyn droned in his oh-so-serious quiet voice, to make sure we all know how important he still is. Another whine about Chevening here, a dig about Dominic Cummings there. We’d already had the teacher-glaring-at-his-naughty-class-look at the start — Corbyn offering up his ‘greatest hits’ as he embarks on his long, drawn-out farewell tour.
After its recent electoral kicking, the Labour Party is realising that it needs to rebuild its relationship with the Jewish community. Jeremy Corbyn seems to still not have got the memo though. Dropping in some yiddish, he said that the PM had been “schmoozing Tory donors” during the floods crisis. Because it always looks good to use phrases associated with Jews when making jibes about the rich and powerful. Let’s just be grateful he didn’t ask about Jeffrey ‘Epshteen’.
Like most of us watching, Boris Johnson lost his patience, lashing out at his opponent and rattling off a list of all the things his government had done while Corbyn was busy undertaking photo opportunities to politicise a tragedy. So confident did the PM become that he even found it in himself to praise his predecessor Theresa May, which is nice.
After that undercard, we got the main event. Former Chancellor, Sajid Javid, took to his feet to explain his recent resignation from goverment, to the Commons. He said he had “hoped for a little longer to make a difference from the inside” but that didn’t happen. Outlining the row he had with the Prime Minister in no uncertain terms, Javid said that “advisers advise, ministers decide, and ministers decide their advisers.” With refreshing honesty he explained that attempts to change this by No. 10 “were conditions I could not accept in good conscience”. The now backbencher, scrupulously polite as ever, said he wouldn’t comment on gossip about his departure — “the comings and goings, if you will”. Geddit? It wasn’t quite Geoffrey Howe levels of savagery, but his comments left little doubt about what had gone on.
There were some warnings from Javid in there too, urging his successor Rishi Sunak to help reduce the tax burden, continue to balance the books and not pass the bill on to the next generation. He also gave a friendly nod to Theresa May, commenting on their time together at the top of government. Two friendly references in less than 45 minutes of Parliamentary time? No wonder the former PM is smiling more on the backbenches than she ever did while in Downing Street.
With his position entrenched following the recent Cummings and goings, Boris Johnson delivered a performance as dominant as Tyson Fury’s. Until Labour get their own reshuffle done and offer a new challenger, he looks set to win these bouts for the foreseeable future.
