Sir Oinky plays in the same mud after the chamber's recess
The first Prime Minister's Questions back from recess is always a strange one. There is a sense that anything could have happened over the course of a week off. Could Kemi Badenoch finally have learned the order in which to ask questions? Would the Secretary of State for Rural Affairs have located his spine? Might, in the midst of global security trepidation, Sir Oinky have finally grown from being a trough-hungry and petty little man into a great statesman?
No such luck. By my calculations it took just under two minutes for the Prime Minister to stand up and shriek his old Dalekian line of '£22 billion black hole!' at Tory MP Dr Luke Evans, who had dared query whether slapping the National Insurance rise onto hospices was a particularly compassionate idea. Behind him, Yvette Cooper – the extra from A Bug's Life who the Labour Party believe is more worthy of a portrait in parliament than Admiral Nelson – smiled and nodded eagerly. Next to her Big Ange was doing her usual target measuring on the PM's back.
When it came to her turn, Mrs Badenoch accused Oinky of playing 'silly games with numbers' when trying to account for his defence spending rise. She wondered whether the indeterminate wads of cash soon to be hurled in the direction of Mauritius were being included in the increase in defence spending.
The PM in turn accused Mrs Badenoch of asking the same question again and again. Undoubtedly this is true; however perhaps if he actually answered any of them we'd be saved from the need for this deranged circularity every week. The whole thing makes a Punch and Judy show look like King Lear.
More effective was Stephen Flynn of the SNP. The Volcano of Aberdeen North is particularly adept at filleting Oinky, having, as he does, a very tangible contempt for the wobbly dissembling that he deploys in lieu of answers.
Was, Mr Flynn asked, the rise in energy bills, despite endless pre-election promises that they would fall, a result of incompetence or just old-fashioned Labour lying? The Prime Minister dismissed this all as 'grievance politics' which was, again, technically true but failed to account for the fact that some grievances are justified.
Perhaps the most topsy-turvy question of all came from Charlotte Nichols of Warrington North who asked about suicide prevention. Oinky put on his serious face and intoned earnestly that 'every suicide is one suicide too many'. Just down the hallway Kim Leadbeater and her pals were busy voting down every sign.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Angela Rayner accused of waging 'class war' over her plans to cut funding for wealthier Southern areas so more can be spent in the North
Labour was yesterday accused of declaring 'class war' over plans to cut funding for town halls in the South and splurge it in its northern heartlands. Under Angela Rayner 's shake-up, wealthier southern households face a raft of raids to help pay for the giveaway in Labour's traditional working-class areas. These include hikes in council tax bills and fees, such as parking, planning and licensing charges. Town halls in the South also face having to cut existing services because of the raid on their coffers. Under the plans, unveiled yesterday, town halls with 'stronger council tax bases', which tend to be in wealthier parts of London and the Home Counties, will get less Government cash. Those with 'weaker bases', often in the North, will get more under the 'progressive' redistribution model. The Deputy Prime Minister Ms Rayner, who is also the local government secretary, has long argued that an overhaul of council funding is needed. Ms Rayner, the MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, has pointed to people living in the North who pay hundreds of pounds more in council tax than those in wealthier southern areas, calling it 'unfair'. But the plans, which affect councils in England and would begin for three years from next April, sparked a furious backlash. Greg Smith, the Tory MP for Mid Buckinghamshire, said: 'We're already massively over-taxed and council tax has already blown out of all proportion across the country. 'Anything that takes from the South to pay for the North is class war.' And Kevin Hollinrake, the Tories' local government spokesman, said: 'In reality, Labour's appetite for tax hikes knows no bounds. These new backdoor rises in fees and charges are nothing more than stealth taxes – punishing the very councils that have kept taxes low and responsible.' The new proposed formula for allocating money would take into account local needs, based on population, poverty and age data. This will lead to more cash going to deprived areas. And Government grants, which account for about half of councils' income, will now be based on calculations of what local authorities could raise if all areas charged the same rates of council tax based on their housing mix. This will mean steep falls in grant income for wealthier councils. Vikki Slade, the Lib Dems' local government spokesman, said: 'It would be a big mistake for the Government to force councils into unfair council tax rises. 'At a time when councils desperately need support, it beggars belief that Angela Rayner is considering reducing funding entitlements for many, including councils which already receive very little grant funding.' But ministers insist councils won't go bust as it would be phased in over three years, removing a potential 'cliff edge' if the redistribution happened in one go. They also say it will not lead to huge council tax hikes because these are already capped at 5 per cent, and most councils already raise it by this amount every year. However, they could apply to Ms Rayner, who is from Stockport, for special permission to raise it by more than this given the unprecedented pressure their finances could come under. They are also likely to look at cutting back on existing services and hiking other fees to help balance the books. It raises the prospect of councils being handed more powers to raise revenues by hiking such fees. Yesterday's new consultation, which will run until August 15, said ministers will now 'review all fees previously identified and consider where there is the strongest case for reform'. Kate Ogden, a senior research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said councils in 'leafier suburban and rural areas' in the South will be among the biggest losers. Local government minister Jim McMahon said: 'There's broad agreement across council leaders, experts, and parliamentarians that the current funding model is broken and unfair. 'This Government is stepping up to deliver the fairer system promised in the 2017 Fair Funding Review but never delivered.'
Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Telegraph
Benefits rebellion means welfare crackdown is ‘not in the bag'
Sir Keir Starmer's Government is stepping up meetings with potential Labour welfare rebels to stave off the threat of a Commons defeat. Ministers including Liz Kendall, the Work and Pensions Secretary, will increase their engagement with MPs to prevent a large rebellion, it is understood. There are concerns in government that a Commons victory in a vote on the potential cuts – expected in the next few weeks – is not a foregone conclusion. The move comes after Vicky Foxcroft resigned as a party whip on Thursday night over cuts to disability benefits. In her resignation letter to the Prime Minister, the MP for Lewisham North said she understood 'the need to address the ever-increasing welfare bill', but did not believe the proposed cuts 'should be part of the solution'. Ms Foxcroft was the second Labour frontbencher to quit in protest over policy issues after Anneliese Dodds resigned as development minister over cuts to the aid budget. Dozens of other Labour backbenchers have expressed concern over proposals to reform the welfare system, which are expected to save up to £5 billion a year. One rebel said there were rumours about further resignations. However, Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, insisted a major rebellion over welfare was not on the cards. She added that Ms Foxcroft was the only frontbencher who had spoken to her about resigning. Ms Nandy claimed a 'handful' of backbench MPs had expressed concerns to her about the 'detail' of the Bill, but added that she was confident the Government had listened and the package of reforms was 'absolutely right'. She told BBC Breakfast: 'It would be wrong to say that when you bring forward big reforms, there aren't concerns and there aren't dissenting voices, of course there are. 'But Vicky is the only frontbencher that I've had a conversation with about resigning.' Rebel Labour MPs welcomed Ms Foxcroft's decision, with Hartlepool's Jonathan Brash saying that he had the 'utmost respect' for her 'principled stand'. Connor Naismith, the Crewe and Nantwich MP, said that her resignation 'must have been an incredibly difficult decision but she should be commended for standing by her principles'. Ms Foxcroft had said she had wrestled with whether to resign or remain in the Government and 'fight from within'. 'Sadly it [...] now seems that we are not going to get the changes I desperately wanted to see,' she continued. 'I therefore tender my resignation as I know I will not be able to do the job that is required of me and whip – or indeed vote – for reforms which include cuts to disabled people's finances.' Legislation introduced to Parliament on Wednesday includes a tightening of the criteria for the main disability payment in England, the personal independence payment (PIP). Ministers also want to cut the sickness-related element of Universal Credit, and delay access to it so only those aged 22 and over can claim it.
Sky News
7 hours ago
- Sky News
Sir Keir Starmer tries to contain rebellion among Labour MPs over welfare reforms
Sir Keir Starmer had a series of one-on-one meetings with Labour MPs on Friday to try to contain a rebellion on the government's welfare reforms. Ahead of the assisted dying vote, the prime minister met privately with some of the dozens of MPs with concerns about the proposed cuts to sickness and disability benefits. The first vote on the legislation, which the chancellor says will save £5bn a year from the welfare bill, will be held in early July. The prime minister's involvement at this stage suggests a major effort is underway to quell a potential rebellion. Cabinet ministers say they do not expect mass resignations, but one junior minister told Sky News that opposition to the reforms was "pretty strong". One frontbencher, government whip Vicky Foxcroft, resigned her post yesterday, writing that she understood "the need to address the ever-increasing welfare bill" but did not believe the proposed cuts "should be part of the solution". Other junior ministers and whips have not, as yet, moved to follow her. But one government insider said: "It's difficult to tell if the mood will harden as we get closer. There's a lot of work going on." The package of reforms is aimed at encouraging more people off sickness benefits and into work, but dozens of Labour rebels said last month that the proposals were "impossible to support". 1:34 Welfare secretary Liz Kendall is also meeting individually with MPs. She said earlier this week that the welfare system is "at a crossroads" and the bill was about "compassion, opportunity and dignity". Ministers are trying to convince MPs that a £1bn fund to support disabled people into work, and the scrapping of the Work Capability Assessment, a key demand of disability groups, make the cuts package worth voting for. They insist that 90% of current claimants of personal independence payment (PIP) will not lose the benefit. But disability groups say the cuts will have a "disastrous" effect on vulnerable people.
