Corbyn Vs May Round Eleven
Theresa May started Prime Ministers Questions by sending her condolences to Baroness Trumpington, famous not only for her contribution to the war but her outspokenness and wit.
Jeremy Corbyn also shared in condolence for the Baroness and also gave a tribute to a great loss to many today of Harry Leslie Smith.
“I want to pay tribute to my friend Harry Leslie Smith, who passed away this morning and who also served in the war. Harry was an irrepressible campaigner for refugees, the NHS and passionate about the principle of healthcare as a human right for all.”
After condolences were exchanged Jeremy Corbyn stepped up to the podium and bossed the session, asking questions that put the PM on the back foot, leaving her often stumbling through repetitive sound bites and accusatory comebacks unable to answer the questions.
This week the Leader of the Opposition reveled in the chance to pick apart the details of the Prime Minister’s withdrawal deal.
He began by picking on the words of our new Secretary of State of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jeremy Hunt. Stating that he had said the deal “mitigates most of the negative aspects of leaving” and asking the PM “Which negative aspects does it not mitigate?”
Theresa May retreated to her little bubble of denial, cogs turning and her brain screaming the Lego movie song, ‘everything is awesome’.
She responded that the economic impact assessment published by the Treasury showed that her deal will not make the country poorer. This is despite her own Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond saying the opposite this morning. He stated that whichever form Brexit takes will leave our country worse off.
Once again Theresa May has been caught out telling porky pies in the house and showing that she is living on an entirely different planet to the rest of us, even her own members of Government.
Stepping out of her bubble she attempted to go on the attack smugly stating that the biggest risk to the economy was the Right Honorable Gentleman and his Shadow Chancellor.
Corbyn stepped back onto the podium and put May straight back in her bubble as he replied with a comeback that is the most worthy statement of a mic drop heard in the House of Commons during PMQs.
Jeremy Corbyn wasted no time in pointing out her error and referenced the Chancellors words this morning asking if it was right for him to say the country will be poorer?
Retreating further within her protective denial bubble, May chose once again to ignore the question to attack Labour’s “six bullet points” (Six tests). She rallied back with a witty quip, “My weekly shopping list is longer than that”. Must be nice to afford a weekly shop, whilst many of the people that she is supposed to represent are using food banks in order to feed themselves.
Undeterred by futile attempts to slur Labour, Jeremy Corbyn quoted Professor Philip Alston’s, recent report on poverty in the UK. “In my meetings with the government, it was clear to me that the impact of Brexit on people in poverty is an afterthought.”
Theresa May denied that her Brexit deal will make UK poorer. The report issued today would seem to indicate that this was yet another barefaced lie.
Caroline Lucas stood in parliament after PMQ’s certain that Theresa May has violated the Ministerial code and asking that the PM comes back to the House of Commons and correct her statement.
The Leader of the Opposition referred to Theresa Mays previous declarations that trade after Brexit will be frictionless, however, that now it seems that she has created “Friction and less trade.”
Theresa still in her bubble mumbled soundbites regarding the backstop but again not supplying direct answers.
Quick to retaliate to the stumbling Prime Minister, Jeremey continued to puncture Theresa Mays bubble of denial by asking her why she was refusing to release the legal advice on Brexit to the house. He referred to her own request in Parliament calling for the legal advice on the Iraq War to be published when she herself was in opposition.
Once again, the question went in one ear and straight out the other and she chose to answer by claiming John McDonnell now backed a second referendum and would vote remain. She used this one person’s use of low probability language “might” as proof that the entire Labour party were attempting to stop Brexit.
In response to this claim, it is noted that John McDonnell attended a Guardian Live event yesterday evening and when talking about Brexit and options to take Government that a people’s vote “might” be an option. He has said that if there were another referendum he would vote remain.
It looks like Theresa May could be regretting her decision to invite Jeremy Corbyn to a television debate after today’s performance. She needs to considerably up her game or Jeremy Corbyn will be showing the country that he is a leader in waiting and that she is a mere sloppy pretender.
