Starmer ends up on the back foot at PMQs

Prime Minister’s Questions is usually a session where the PM defends his handling of one issue or another, under attack from the leader of the Opposition. But today’s session involved an attempt by Sir Keir Starmer to defend his approach to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. Labour knows it has an exposed flank on this because the legislation contains such a large mix of different policies, and because it adopted its position of opposing the Bill rather late on.

The Labour leader devoted his questions to asking Johnson about how the government would respond to the aftermath of the murder of Sarah Everard, arguing that ‘sometimes a tragedy is so shocking it demands both justice and change’ and that ‘this must also be a watershed moment’. He said politicians needed to work together to tackle violence against women and girls, and continued in that serious, consensual tone.

Johnson’s responses were more collegiate than usual.