Starmer calls Sunak a ‘tech brother’ in rowdy PMQs

There were no defections today at Prime Minister’s Questions, which probably put Keir Starmer in a slightly stronger position, ironically, given the fuss about Natalie Elphicke crossing the floor last week. The Tories have so thoroughly trashed their former colleague that the most damaging thing Labour could probably do now would be to send the Dover MP back to the Tories. 

The defections in the past few weeks have been a light relief from a rather repetitive slanging match featuring the same lines from both men. But mercifully both Starmer and Rishi Sunak had chosen some new attacks for this session. Sunak wanted to talk about the ‘gangbusters’ economy and his pledge to boost defence spending, while Starmer wanted to hammer the early release of dangerous criminals as part of the government’s attempts to ease overcrowding in prisons. 

The Labour leader started with the political talking point of the week: the Conservatives’ imaginary crackdown on rainbow lanyards in the civil service.