Sunak gives Starmer an easy ride at first PMQs

Another week, another Prime Minister’s Questions featuring Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak arguing across the Commons. Except, of course, the men had swapped sides, with Starmer taking his first session as prime minister, and they were – possibly for the first time ever – quite nice to each other. All the old grudge match lines had gone. There were plenty of references to how civil they were being to each other, plenty of ‘I’m glad to hear the prime minister’ and ‘I will reach out across this House’. 

Sunak focused all his questions on Ukraine and international affairs, which made it much easier for the two men to be pleasant. The Leader of the Opposition had an opening joke about Team GB at the Olympics, saying: ‘I’m probably not the first person they want to hear advice from on how to win’. He then asked about the government’s support for Ukraine, and whether he would ‘continue to be responsive to Ukraine’s requests’.