Huge roar of laughter after Mordaunt says PM is ‘detained on urgent business’

Penny Mordaunt shows up for Keir Starmer’s urgent question

Penny Mordaunt was immediately met with a huge roar of laughter from the opposite benches after saying Liz Truss was ‘detained on urgent business’.

The Prime Minister was accused of ‘running scared’ after failing to show up for Keir Starmer’s urgent question on her troubled financial plans.

In her place, she sent Ms Mordaunt, who told MPs: ‘With apologies to the Leader of the Opposition and the House, the PM is detained on urgent business… and I’m afraid you’ll have to make do with me.’

MPs could not help but laught as they continued shouting ‘where is she?’ and ‘weak’.

The PM’s failure to appear before the Commons comes after her newly installed Chancellor Jeremy Hunt scrapped her controversial tax measures and announced a shock U-turn on energy bill support.

Labour accused her of being too frightened to turn up and face the music after her refusal to face MPs after sacking Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.

She did give a press conference on Friday, but left after eight minutes, answering only four questions from journalists.

A Labour Party spokesperson said of the Tories: ‘With the Chancellor junking the majority of its kamikaze budget today, the Prime Minister should have come to the House to make a statement.

‘If she had a shred of authority left she would turn up.’

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The Prime Minister was accused of ‘running scared’ after failing to show up for Keir Starmer’s urgent question on her troubled financial plan.