Wanderlust

Tag: speaker

  • Prime Minister’s Questions: The key bits and the verdict

    Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn Image copyright HoC

    Theresa May went head-to-head with Jeremy Corbyn in the House of Commons. Here’s what happened.

    Passions were running high in the Commons at the final Prime Minister’s Questions before the party conference season gets under way.

    But Jeremy Corbyn began in a low-key way, with a riddle designed to knock Theresa May off balance.

    What did the National Farmers’ Union, the Federation of Small Businesses, the National Audit Office, the National Housing Federation, Gingerbread and the Royal Society of Arts all have in common, he asked.

    A grinning Mrs May was momentarily flummoxed, perhaps thinking he was trying to lay a Brexit trap for her.

    All MPs were aware of the “pain” Universal Credit was causing from people at their advice surgeries, said Mr Corbyn. Did she agree with the National Audit Office that it would create hardship, force more people to use food banks and “could end up costing the system even more”.

    Mrs May said she remembered from years back a constituent, a single mother, who had been told by the job centre that she would be “better off on benefits”. That was the last Labour government’s legacy, she told him.

    The Labour leader accused the government of putting vulnerable people at risk with its benefit changes, something immediately denied by the PM.

    It was Labour that was “speaking up for the poorest in this country”, shouted a visibly angry Mr Corbyn amid a growing wall of noise from MPs on all sides.

    “The government’s Brexit negotiations are an abject failure – I can see that by the sullen faces behind her, and that’s not just the ERG group it’s the whole lot of them,” he cried.

    “The prime minister is not challenging the burning injustices in our society. She is pouring petrol on them. When will she stop inflicting misery on the people of this country?”

    Mrs May launched into a full-throated defence of her own record on “burning injustice” such as the government’s “racial disparity audit” and a crackdown on stop and search (“that was me as home secretary”).

    Then, knowing that Mr Corbyn would not get a comeback, she laid into Labour’s recent internal troubles, ending with a quote from Labour MP Chuka Umunna, who had claimed his party was “institutionally racist”. This left Conservative MPs baying loudly for “more”.

    What else came up?

    The SNP’s leader at Westminster, Ian Blackford, called on the PM to “end her austerity programme or admit that her party is unfit to govern”.

    Skip Twitter post 3 by @BBCPolitics

    “The PM is unfit to govern, she is incapable of leadership” – Leader of SNP at Westminster Ian Blackford highlights anniversary of #FinancialCrisis saying “people are poorer” and could suffer if there is a no deal #Brexit https://t.co/QUP3a2ywxi #PMQs pic.twitter.com/t4RZYGDMfb

    — BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) September 12, 2018

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    End of Twitter post 3 by @BBCPolitics

    The Verdict

    Here is BBC Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg’s take on the session:

    Skip Twitter post 4 by @BBCPolitics

    “By the end of their exchanges, Theresa May looked absolutely furious, just as Jeremy Corbyn had done in his last question to her” @bbclaurak on #pmqs#politicslive https://t.co/qOzgoqYVDb pic.twitter.com/vJqqZgBivE

    — BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) September 12, 2018

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    End of Twitter post 4 by @BBCPolitics

    BBC parliamentary correspondent Mark D’Arcy’s verdict:

    Well that was nasty. Shouty, a bit more personal and very, very loud. This finger-jabbing, heckle-heavy PMQs demonstrated the rising political temperature in Parliament.

    Pre-prepared attack lines were deployed and the respective parties howled their delight, but no-one was trounced, or even bruised in the encounters between the main players.

    It was telling that, either from herd instinct or conscious organisation, there was quite an effort to provide the PM with helpful questions which allowed her to pivot to good news stories. One way or another loyalist Tories are coming to their leader’s assistance.

    Maybe the hyper-partisan atmosphere deterred any MPs from the various rebel factions on the Tory and Labour benches from breaking ranks.

    The most telling moment came when former Army officer Jonny Mercer raised the continuing historic investigations into military veterans over allegations dating from the Iraq war or the Northern Ireland troubles.

    Mr Mercer has irritated Downing Street with his continuing parliamentary campaign on this issue, and on veterans’ mental health, which stretch back to his maiden speech in 2015 – and here he was again with a critical question to the PM.

    Her answer using terms like “flawed” and “disproportionate” seemed to hint at a softening of the Government’s position, and Mr Mercer’s frown in response suggests he will be following up to pin down exactly what she might mean.

  • Claire Perry in Commons ‘dilation’ row with John Bercow

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    Media captionClaire Perry asks John Bercow to “imagine his behaviour” after accusations of sexist behaviour towards her.

    Conservative minister Claire Perry has accused John Bercow of creating “sexist” comments about her after he informed her to avoid “dilation” within the Commons.

    She mentioned he had used “demeaning language” while chiding her for taking too long to respond to questions.

    Comments “approximately me being dilated” had brought about “wonder and dismay” among MPs from either side, she mentioned.

    A spokeswoman for Mr Bercow stated he ceaselessly used the word within the context of trying to speed up Commons trade.

    The phrase dilated is usually associated with childbirth, being the moment whilst a pregnant woman’s cervix opens up sufficiently to permit labour to happen.

    However dilated can also be used to consult with any person “speaking or writing at duration” on a subject.

    Bercow admits muttering phrase ‘dull’ Commons Speaker dealing with new outburst claims MP committee blocks Bercow investigation

    The Speaker’s behavior has come underneath scrutiny in up to date months amid claims – that he has denied – that he has acted aggressively to individuals of his staff.

    Ms Perry has now written to Mr Bercow to invite him to “believe his behaviour” in mild of comments he made all through Tuesday’s Department Of Business Questions.

    ‘Rough and tumble’

    Urging her to give “shorter answers” to questions from backbenchers, he mentioned the Commons had a “lot to get via” and that “dilation isn’t in order lately”.

    Ms Perry, who has three kids, replied: “The final time I talked about dilation, i used to be in labour.”

    In reaction, Mr Bercow stated “what is required is a brief resolution and a temporary query – no dilation”.

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    Media captionSpeaker John Bercow tells MP Claire Perry: No dilation

    In her letter, Ms Perry mentioned she had turn out to be aware of the “occasional irascible outburst” from the Speaker which, at the same time as “by no means stress-free”, she generic could be thought to be part of the “rough and tumble of government”.

    However she mentioned she took exception to the “tone and language” used to “admonish me for giving over-lengthy answers that appeared both overly aggressive and especially sexist”.

    The minister added. “Your feedback about me being dilated have particularly led to comment.

    “after all you may have misspoken, therefore my try to lighten the mood with a reference to the last time i used to be dilated but this only provoked an extra outburst of anger.”

    ‘Woman problem’

    She claimed a “pattern of behaviour” was once emerging which urged Mr Bercow had a “woman downside” and located it “an increasing number of laborious to interact respectfully with feminine MPs on the government benches”.

    A spokeswoman for the Speaker’s Office mentioned Mr Bercow supposed nothing derogatory within the observation.

    “Right Through query time yesterday, the Speaker used to be looking to move industry along ahead of the much-expected debate on the ECU (Withdrawal) Bill.

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    John Bercow’s letter to Claire Perry 12

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    “He simply urged the minister to offer a ‘brief answer … no dilation’ – in different words, he was asking Ms Perry to not talk at period. it’s a time period he has used repeatedly earlier than.”

    In his own respond to Ms Perry, the Speaker said he didn’t accept as true with her assertions but suggested they meet for a cup of tea to “transparent the air”.

    Mr Bercow, who has been Speaker in view that 2009, has incurred the wrath of a few ministers over the years by means of telling them to be more concise within the Commons, once cutting off David Cameron part approach via an answer and telling him “take it from me he has finished”.

    The Speaker came underneath hearth closing month amid unconfirmed claims that he had called Commons leader Andrea Leadsom a “stupid woman” in the chamber.

    He admitted the use of the word dull as a “muttered aside” however most effective within the context of the federal government’s dealing with of parliamentary industry and insisted that he had each recognize for Mrs Leadsom and all his colleagues.

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