4 SEPTEMBER 2024 | NEWS
Today saw the first Prime Minister’s Questions of the post-recess session. The in-house video is here and the Hansard transcript here (search page for ‘Engagements’). MailPlus subscribers can read Quentin Letts’ Parliamentary sketch here; other media comment is widely available.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer opened with references to the Olympics and Paralympics, the asylum seekers who drowned in the English Channel yesterday and the report released today on the Grenfell tower blaze.
He agreed with Bill Esterson (L) that more should be done about mental health and suicide prevention, pledging to recruit more mental health staff and to modernise the Mental Health Act 1983.
The Opposition leader Rishi Sunak tackled the PM on the decision to withdraw the Winter Fuel Allowance (later citing the scrapping of additional cost of living support), while increasing pay for train drivers and some other unionised workers. The PM countered with the ‘£22 billion black hole’ in public finances and ‘absolute chaos’ bequeathed by the outgoing Tories; he promised to help pensioners claim pension credit (which would qualify them for the allowance) and to align housing benefit and pension credit. He said the pensions ‘triple lock’ was projected to increase the State Pension by over £1,000 in the next five years. The two gentlemen sparred over the economic record of the last Government.
Mr Sunak then asked why Labour had suspended 30 licences to export arms to Israel at a time when Hamas still held 101 Israeli hostages and had just murdered six others. The PM said the decision followed legal guidance set down in 2021; while he wished to cooperate with the US, they have a different legal framework. Starmer spoke of the need for a ceasefire as well as the release of hostages; he accepted Israel’s right to self-defence.
Lloyd Hatton (L) welcomed the closure of the Bibby Stockholm barge that had held asylum seekers, and asked the PM to close down other ‘unworkable gimmicks’. The PM agreed and referred to the recent launch of the border security force and legislation being prepared to introduce counter-terrorism powers to tackle people-smuggling gangs.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey re-raised the matter of the Winter Fuel Allowance; the PM again cited the £22 billion ‘black hole’ and the need to take tough decisions to restabilise the economy. Starmer supported the Lib Dem campaign for more urgent action to invest in insulation and renewables to help pensioners battle the cold, and repeated the pension measures he had mentioned to Mr Sunak.
Yasmin Qureshi (L) asked about the long-running campaign to review harm done by hormone pregnancy tests. The PM expressed sympathy and said the DHSS was reviewing a publication from Professor Danielsson and the Government would follow the results of that review.
Gavin Robinson (DUP) urged the need to uplift the national security grant afforded to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for the protection of its officers. The PM said it was for the Justice Minister and the Executive to set the PSNI’s budget and for the Chief Constable to decide how to allocate resources, but he had been talking to the Chief Constable about possible further support.
Emma Foody (Lab/Co-Op) raised the matter of the extortionate resales of Oasis music band tickets; the PM said he was starting a consultation about the practice.
Harriet Cross (C) asked about the impact of proposed windfall tax increases on North Sea energy exploration. The PM referred to the Government’s commitment to transition to renewable energy while recognising that oil and gas would play their part for many years yet, and invited her and other MPs to celebrate that ‘contracts for difference’ had just secured ‘a record 131 new clean energy projects – enough to power 11 million homes – and they are the jobs of the future’.
Luke Charters (L) urged the speeding-up of the planning process to get more homes built. The PM agreed and used this opportunity to remind the House of Labour’s plan to build 1.5 million new homes.
Alistair Carmichael (LD) said that a wind farm in Shetland had been paid £2 million not to generate electricity, while his constituents suffered from fuel poverty; should there not be an ‘islands tariff’ for their benefit? The PM said he would make sure that a relevant Minister spoke to Mr Carmichael.
Peter Prinsley (L) asked that hospitals affected by ‘reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete’ (RAAC) be prioritised in the Government’s review of the new hospital programme. The PM agreed and said the Secretary of State would update Parliament as soon as possible.
Peter Wishart (SNP) asked why the PM had declined in popularity – was it ‘attacks on the pensioners’, child poverty, Labour cronyism or austerity? The PM noted how few SNP Members were now in the House and said he needed ‘no lectures on popularity and winning elections’.
Ashley Dalton (L) welcomed the scrapping of Ofsted’s single-word judgements on schools. How did the PM envisage a more positive relationship between Ofsted, the Government and schools, and improving standards? The PM reaffirmed his commitment to the best education for all children and said that there would be a ‘richer dashboard’ for assessing school performance.
Rebecca Paul (C) also raised the matter of the Winter Fuel Allowance and the pension credit cut-off point, asking whether the PM could broaden eligibility for the allowance. The PM reprised some points he had made earlier.
Deirdre Costigan raised the problem of crime and street drinking in town centres. The PM replied: ‘We will put more police on the streets, have more effective powers to deal with anti-social behaviour, and introduce Young Futures programmes to divert young people who are getting into trouble.’
Sir Ashley Fox (C) urged the priority rebuilding of Haygrove School in Bridgwater and other structurally unsafe schools built by Caledonian Modular. The PM said the Education Minister would visit Haygrove and the Department for Education was pursuing all available avenues for redress.
Shaun Davies (L) described how public services and funding in Telford had dwindled. The PM replied ‘we will have local growth plans, improved public services and investment in transport links’. He also said ‘we will devolve power to those with skin in the game’ – a reference to Labour’s ‘Change’ scheme for greater local democracy.
Tim Farron (LD) cited fatal accidents on the A66 road in Westmorland and was ‘concerned that the vital A66 northern trans-Pennine project, which would make the roads considerably safer’ was now under review. The PM appreciated the problem there and on other roads but said Labour had inherited a ‘broken economy’ and would report back on that review as soon as possible.
Gurinder Josan (L) asked about young people and knife crime. The PM said Labour’s mission was to halve knife crime and was doing a rapid review of the online sale of knives.
Dame Karen Bradley (C) asked the PM to guarantee that the ‘beautiful’ Staffordshire Moorlands ‘will not be forced into a devolution deal or local government reorganisation against our will?’ The PM said it was very important that local people have a say, but it was ‘equally important that we devolve to those who have skin in the game … those with skin in the game [needed to] take the decisions that are relevant to them and their area‘.
[He did not clarify here the distinction between ‘local people’ and those with ‘skin in the game’ – a phrase he used three times in this session.]
