The Government is about to announce changes to employment law, so Rishi Sunak wondered, “given the weekend’s events”, when the Prime Minister “first became a convert to fire and rehire”.
This deft reference to the sacking and rehiring of Sue Gray amused the Opposition benches, which shouted “more”, but was countered by Sir Keir Starmer in his usual worthy, sombre manner, from which Labour MPs continue to take their cue, sitting obediently in their hundreds as they accustom themselves to parliamentary life.
The victors are glum, while the losers are enjoying themselves. This is the odd spectacle presented just now by the House of Commons, and it is hard to see how it can change under the Roundhead leadership of Starmer.
At the first sign of difficulty he took shelter in the “22 billion pound black hole” left for him by Sunak, from which he fired off the clunky slogans prepared for him by his staff.
“We were returned with a huge majority,” he told the House, and a majority, as Disraeli said, is always better than the best repartee.
But one wonders whether Starmer’s footsoldiers will come to yearn for a bit of repartee to adorn their majority. Life is real and life is earnest is a grim attitude with which to see out the whole of this Parliament.
Sunak invited Starmer to repeat some of the promises he has made about not raising tax, and to confirm that these apply to employer as well as employee National Insurance contributions.
Starmer replied that he was “not going to get drawn” on anything to do with the Budget, which was the right line to take, but he did it in such a dreary way that for a moment he resembled a schoolmaster with a precarious hold on his class, which was longing for a cheerier half hour.
Ed Davey, for the Liberal Democrats, asked rather unexpectedly about the difficulty of fishermen in the Falklands, who face huge EU tariffs unless they sail under a Spanish flag: “can he ensure that British citizens sailing off the Falklands can sail proudly under the Union Jack?”
“My uncle nearly lost his life when his ship was torpedoed defending the Falklands,” Starmer declared. This was a welcome change from his father the toolmaker, but the sententious tone was the same.
“They are British and they will remain British,” Starmer went on. “I’ve been very clear about the Falklands. It’s personal to me.”
Here again was the right line to take, but it was taken in a tone somewhat lowering to his listeners’ spirits, as one saw from the faces of the listening Labour MPs.
The rule of virtue has begun. Will the Tories find a leader capable of puncturing this pious coercion?
