Sunak and Starmer’s pointless battle of soundbites at PMQs

We learned very little from Prime Minister’s Questions today. Both Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak used attack lines from previous weeks – ones that they will probably repeat until the next general election – and didn’t stray into any new areas.

The Leader of the Opposition wanted to mock the Tory performance in last week’s local elections. Meanwhile, Sunak wanted to exploit Labour nerves that, despite Starmer’s party doing well last week, it didn’t seem to be out of a newfound enthusiasm for Labour among voters.

Starmer told the chamber that the Prime Minister would have to give another update on employment numbers ‘now he’s cost 1,000 Tory councillors their jobs’. In reply, Sunak quoted Tony Blair saying, ‘the right honourable gentleman can be as cocky as he likes about the local elections: come the general election, policy counts.