PMQs Live – 25/05 – Captain Hindsight – U-turn on windfall tax 

Starmer says Johnson is “just delusional”.

He says he is glad government officials got in touch with the dialysis patient whose case Starmer raised at PMQs last week.

He asks if the PM can reassure the 500,000 waiting for a passport from the Passport Office. Will they be able to go on holiday?

Johnson says the performance of the Passport Office is improving. He claims everyone is getting a passport within four to six weeks.

He got Brexit done, he says. But Starmer voted 48 times to block the will of the people, he says. He says eight Labour frontbenchers voted to get rid of the nuclear deterrent. And Starmer campaigned to put “Vladimir Corbyn” – Johnson corrects himself and says Jeremy Corbyn – in No 10. – (Guardian) 

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Starmer asks why the UK has the highest inflation and the lowest growth?

Johnson says Starmer loves running this county down. He used to say the UK had the highest Covid death rate. He was wrong. But did he ever apologise? Labour does not care about getting people into jobs. – (Guardian) 

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Starmer says at the time of the budget Rishi Sunak said he was ready to act. Why hasn’t it?

But it has, says Johnson. It put in the living wage, a Conservative instituion, he claims. (Labour introduced the national minimum wage, long opposed by the Tories, but the Tories rebadged it as a national living wage.)

Johnson says the government is acting. – (Guardian) 

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Windfall tax u-turn – Captain Hindsight

Starmer says PM has raised taxes 15 times and yet he claims to be leading a low tax govt. 

On the windfall tax he says “I’m told that hindsight is a wonderful thing.” – (a reference to BoJo’s nickname for Starmer – Captain Hindsight). 

The PM laughed at this!

Starmer asks what attracted the PM to the idea of announcing the windfall tax U-turn in a week of the Sue Gray report. 

PM says unemployment at its lowest since 1974. 

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Starmer says he want to focus on the cost of living crisis and looks forward to address the Sue Gray report later – after PMQs ends and the PM addresses the house and the public. 

Starmer says hundreds of millions have landed in the bank accounts of energy companies. But it sounds as if the government will U-turn and back a windfall tax. When? 

PM says the govt is helping people now. The government is putting money in people’s pockets. PM says economy is strong because we came out of Covid fast. 

PM does not deny a U-Turn 

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PMQs begins – Condolences to America

Boris Johnson is on his feet as Prime Minister’s Questions begins. He’ll be facing opposition politicians demanding answers after the publication of the Partygate report.

Both the PM and Keir Starmer send their condolences to the American people just hours after a mass shooting at a US primary school. 

Starmer notes today marks the second anniversary of George Floyd’s death and a reminder we must keep tackling racism – around the world. 

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