Keir Starmer seems to be confused about who’s running the country, calling Rishi Sunak “Prime Minister” five times in the Commons today. It’s a sign he isn’t taking responsibility for his Government’s decisions, says the Daily Sceptic‘s Laurie Wastell in the Spectator. Here’s an excerpt.
When Sir Keir Starmer faced off against Rishi Sunak at the despatch box today, in the first Prime Minister’s Questions after the Parliamentary recess, he seemed to be rather unsure what his role was. Over the course of their exchanges, the ostensible leader of the country referred to his opposite number not once, not twice, but five times as “the Prime Minister”.
It was bad enough when Starmer made this mistake back in July, though after four years in opposition and just weeks into the new role, we might perhaps understand it having become a habit. But to do it again? After he’s been in office for two months, attended a NATO Summit, given numerous grim-faced Downing Street speeches and announced a raft of nannying laws? For Sir Keir to forget who’s running the country a second time is a ridiculous error. One can imagine Starmer squinting down at his briefing cards ahead of the next PMQs: “Note to self: YOU are the one in charge – not Rishi Sunak, not Sue Gray, not the OBR, not ‘international law’.”
But in light of his poor performance at today’s PMQs, where he appeared unwilling to take responsibility for any of the Government’s actions, it seems perhaps this gaffe is worse than just a slip of the tongue. It came as Rishi Sunak pressed Starmer on his Government’s decision to suspend 30 out of 350 of Britain’s arms export licences to Israel. Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the suspension on Monday, saying that there is a “clear risk” that the equipment in question could be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law. It’s a move that gives credence to the claim that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza, which will no doubt please Hamas. The Chief Rabbi has said it “beggars belief”.
The Conservative Government was generally a strong supporter of Israel in its war against Hamas, and Sunak’s question was the obvious one: how would this decision help to secure the release of the 101 hostages still being held by the terrorist group?
Starmer was apparently unable to speak about the effects of this decision, and could only answer in legalese. “The legal framework is clear,” he insisted, explaining that his Government “arrived at this decision” after consulting the relevant “guidance”. He maintained, strangely, that the suspension of licences to Israel was “not an Israel issue”, it was in fact “a legal decision, not a policy decision”.
Of course, we know this would suit the former prosecutor very well, since it would appear to absolve him of any political responsibility. But the fact is that this was a decision made by his Government and he bears responsibility for it.
Worth reading in full.
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