PMQs Sketch: Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn are back in control

Mrs May was back to her former self today. Cool, brusque, snappy and effective. Electoral disaster has served her well. Is it possible she planned this all along? Having brilliantly sacrificed her majority, she’s now indispensable to her weakened party. Her lack of defences defends her. Just one Commons defeat and Corbyn could walk into Number 10.

The Labour leader was transformed too. The vegan diet appears to have drawn a circle of spiritual detachment around him. He didn’t get narked today. He wasn’t petulant or hoity-toity. He didn’t rant or snarl. The wheedling note of the dentist’s drill never entered his voice. He seemed measured and in control. Smooth, even. His scripted interrogation had the single aim of establishing that Mrs May had ratted on her manifesto pledges.
He asked about executive pay but Mrs May changed the subject and praised her party for forcing companies to disclose directors’ salaries. He moved to NHS wages and Mrs May shifted the blame back to Labour.