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| Boris Johnson 'has made a career out of lying', says SNP's Ian Blackford at PMQs - live news | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Here are some tweets from the post-PMQs Labour party briefing. | |
| Jeremy Corbyn’s spokesman says Labour will alight on “a common position that people can row behind,” on Brexit, “in the next few weeks”. And hits back against Margaret Beckett’s comments about “aides” this morning: “Jeremy has his own views and takes his own decisions”. | |
| During a post pmqs grilling of labour spokesperson by the lobby, one Labour staff member turns to another and says “this is so boring” as we try to nail down Corbyn’s Brexit position. | |
| Apparently @uklabour's #brexit policy will be clarified in a matter of weeks, says a spokesman following consultation with unions, MPs, the ruling NEC to find 'a common position' And @jeremycorbyn took the lead after the Euros to say there should be a referendum on any deal | |
| This is what Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, said about Boris Johnson at PMQs. | |
| On the one hand the Tories are asking people to put their faith in the most incompetent foreign secretary in a century, a man who has made a career out of lying, who has spent this week avoiding the media, staging photos and playing to the extreme delusions of the Tory shires. | |
| Blackford also criticised Jeremy Hunt, calling him “the most incompetent health secretary in our history”, but it was what he said about Johnson that infuriated Tory MPs because Commons rules normally stop MPs accusing each other directly of lying. | |
| Frankly, does anyone care? Over the last year PMQs has become increasingly low-voltage; not irrelevant, because important issues are still being raised and debated, but it now longer feels like the forum where the great political conflicts of the day are being settled. And now that Theresa May is effectively working her notice the problem has intensified. Jeremy Corbyn chose to ask her about arms sales to Saudi Arabia, a cause he cares about passionately, and while it was good to see the topic get an airing (Corbyn did manage to make May squirm reasonably successfully, although she hit back very firmly in her final answer), it still felt like displacement activity, because he was ignoring the great crisis facing the country. The SNP’s Ian Blackford is always much more comfortable raising Brexit and for the second week in a row he used PMQs to engage in Boris Johnson character assassination. But without Johnson there to respond, it was like arm wrestling without an opponent. Still, only four more of these to go, and then come September, when the new PM is due at the despatch box for the first time, it might all liven up again. | Frankly, does anyone care? Over the last year PMQs has become increasingly low-voltage; not irrelevant, because important issues are still being raised and debated, but it now longer feels like the forum where the great political conflicts of the day are being settled. And now that Theresa May is effectively working her notice the problem has intensified. Jeremy Corbyn chose to ask her about arms sales to Saudi Arabia, a cause he cares about passionately, and while it was good to see the topic get an airing (Corbyn did manage to make May squirm reasonably successfully, although she hit back very firmly in her final answer), it still felt like displacement activity, because he was ignoring the great crisis facing the country. The SNP’s Ian Blackford is always much more comfortable raising Brexit and for the second week in a row he used PMQs to engage in Boris Johnson character assassination. But without Johnson there to respond, it was like arm wrestling without an opponent. Still, only four more of these to go, and then come September, when the new PM is due at the despatch box for the first time, it might all liven up again. |
| In response to a point of order about why he did not ask Ian Blackford to withdraw what he said about Boris Johnson making a career out of lying, John Bercow, the Speaker, says he did not hear a specific allegation of dishonesty. (See 12.25pm.) He says what he did hear was distasteful, but he did not judge it disorderly. | In response to a point of order about why he did not ask Ian Blackford to withdraw what he said about Boris Johnson making a career out of lying, John Bercow, the Speaker, says he did not hear a specific allegation of dishonesty. (See 12.25pm.) He says what he did hear was distasteful, but he did not judge it disorderly. |
| Nigel Dodds, the DUP leader at Westminster, says Britons who were victims of IRA violence have not received compensation from the Libyan government, which provided the IRA with weapons, but Americans have. | Nigel Dodds, the DUP leader at Westminster, says Britons who were victims of IRA violence have not received compensation from the Libyan government, which provided the IRA with weapons, but Americans have. |
| May says she has discussed this issue with the Libyan authorities. | May says she has discussed this issue with the Libyan authorities. |
| Gillian Keegan, a Conservative, asks about cancer care in West Sussex. | Gillian Keegan, a Conservative, asks about cancer care in West Sussex. |
| May says cancer care is addressed in the NHS’s long-term plan. She accepts that it is hard for patients if they are asked to travel long distances for treatment. | May says cancer care is addressed in the NHS’s long-term plan. She accepts that it is hard for patients if they are asked to travel long distances for treatment. |
| The SNP’s Marion Fellows says figures out today show that £973m is owed in unpaid child maintenance. The Child Maintenance Service does not use all the powers available to it to get parents to pay up, she says. Will May review this? | The SNP’s Marion Fellows says figures out today show that £973m is owed in unpaid child maintenance. The Child Maintenance Service does not use all the powers available to it to get parents to pay up, she says. Will May review this? |
| May says this is a difficult area. For many years governments have been trying to get this right. The simplified system in place now is better than what was there before, but she will ask the relevant department to look at this. | May says this is a difficult area. For many years governments have been trying to get this right. The simplified system in place now is better than what was there before, but she will ask the relevant department to look at this. |
| Jacob Rees-Mogg, a Conservative, asks about Nice, and the drug Spinraza, which is used to treat spinal muscular atrophy. He says Nice said this drug would be available in a statement on its website, and then had to clarify, meaning his constituent could not access it. | Jacob Rees-Mogg, a Conservative, asks about Nice, and the drug Spinraza, which is used to treat spinal muscular atrophy. He says Nice said this drug would be available in a statement on its website, and then had to clarify, meaning his constituent could not access it. |
| May says this should not have happened. | May says this should not have happened. |
| Unusually, John Bercow, the Speaker, intervenes to say if Rees-Mogg wants a debate on this before the summer recess, that debate will take place. | Unusually, John Bercow, the Speaker, intervenes to say if Rees-Mogg wants a debate on this before the summer recess, that debate will take place. |
| Labour’s Emma Dent Coad asks May to use her final days in office to respond to Grenfell Tower issues, including setting up a social housing regulator with teeth. | Labour’s Emma Dent Coad asks May to use her final days in office to respond to Grenfell Tower issues, including setting up a social housing regulator with teeth. |
| May says the government has already taken many measures in response to the Grenfell tragedy. | May says the government has already taken many measures in response to the Grenfell tragedy. |
| Sir John Hayes, a Conservative, asks May to use the tax system to steer resources away from big monoliths to small, local businesses. | Sir John Hayes, a Conservative, asks May to use the tax system to steer resources away from big monoliths to small, local businesses. |
| May says the government has already introduced reforms to business rates. | May says the government has already introduced reforms to business rates. |
| Labour’s Stephen Pound says May could be distracted by her imminent departure. But will she spare a thought for the 1m-plus PHMOs -pensioner households missing out (on benefits). | Labour’s Stephen Pound says May could be distracted by her imminent departure. But will she spare a thought for the 1m-plus PHMOs -pensioner households missing out (on benefits). |
| May says the government wants people entitled to benefits to get them. | May says the government wants people entitled to benefits to get them. |
| Labour’s Kerry McCarthy asks about the case of a 14-year-old girl with autism placed in a secure unit 150 miles away from home. | Labour’s Kerry McCarthy asks about the case of a 14-year-old girl with autism placed in a secure unit 150 miles away from home. |
| May says the government has been looking at this issue very carefully. It wants more funding to be available for more facilities. | May says the government has been looking at this issue very carefully. It wants more funding to be available for more facilities. |
| Andrew Mitchell, the Conservative former international development secretary, asks May if she accepts the UK should move to much more neutral position on Yemen. | Andrew Mitchell, the Conservative former international development secretary, asks May if she accepts the UK should move to much more neutral position on Yemen. |
| May says the government is working for peace in Yemen. | May says the government is working for peace in Yemen. |
| Labour’s Jo Stevens asks about a constituent who was abducted and taken to Libya. She asks if May will take up this case, and May says she will ensure that happens. | Labour’s Jo Stevens asks about a constituent who was abducted and taken to Libya. She asks if May will take up this case, and May says she will ensure that happens. |