The Commons has a strange “end of term” feel about it. Strange because not even a month has passed since the King’s Speech marked the shiny new legislative ambitions of a new Parliamentary session and just 23 months in to a Government that was elected with a landslide 174-seat majority. But it definitely feels “over”, done, finito. Just some last rites to administer.
Wednesday 10th June
At PMQs Kemi Badenoch (North West Essex, Conservative) LotO made the much-delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP) her line of attack, accusing the Prime Minister of inaction and failing to guarantee required funding for the armed forces while constantly going on about the world’s increased volatility and heightened threats to UK security.
Sir Keir tried to deflect the criticism (ironically making his default “dither and delay” settings all too clear) by highlighting the Tories record in government (yawn) and promising that the long-awaited plan would be published “before the NATO summit.” It would be useful if someone would push the Prime Minister to confirm WHICH summit, just for safety’s sake.
Badenoch characterized the government’s approach as weak, arguing the delay indicates a failure to properly fund defence. Starmer maintained that Labour is strengthening national security, but avoided ruling out tax increases to fund the increasing defence spending. In the Prime Minister’s answer to the fifth question, he repeated his mantra of “we aren’t going to take lectures on defence from the party opposite” without actually doing anything to set out what his party was even hoping to do about defence under his “leadership.”
A lot of Sir Keir’s blather about “you Tories let defence spending slip on your watch” and “Labour has boosted defence spending already” and “Labour is going to sort out the armed forces” is palpable nonsense. TWOP feels a separate piece on defence spending coming on in preparation for the publication of the DIP. In brief, the Labour Government have said that they will increase defence spending in 2026/7, but have not as yet done so and have made no attempt to set out how they intend to fund the increased spending “pencilled in” (thanks, Donald) for 2027/8 – 2034/5. In other words, many words, no action. Familiar?
A pretty dire PMQs really. Badenoch performed well enough, but the tool she picked – repeatedly identifying Starmer’s tendency to avoid decisions and delay processes – is an old wooden mallet which everyone is quite familiar with. This is likely to become a theme over coming weeks as it is now clear that Starmer will not remain PM through this coming Autumn. As Mrs Badenoch herself said: “We’ve heard him say this about 100 times. There is still no Defence Investment Plan.”
There is no longer any surprise factor in identifying that the Sir Keir is incapable of decision-making, disinterested in politics and disinclined to outline any “vision.” He won a spectacular election victory because of all the things he is not: he is not a Tory, he is not Jeremy Corbyn, he is not interesting, he is not a visionary. His premiershop has also revealed that he has not one jot of leadership capability.
An exhausting, interminable, opaque process designed to allow delay and avoidance.
The real question has become one of timing: can Starmer last until Labour’s party conference in Liverpool on 27th September?
Tuesday 9th June
After a stabbing attack in North Belfast, the House saw Hilary Benn (Leeds South, Labour) NISec, make a plea for calm in the wake of social media revelations that the perpetrator was an asylum seeker. Interventions from Jim Shannon (Strangford, DUP), Lee Anderson (Ashfield, Reform UK) and Sir Julian Lewis (New Forest East, Conservative) encouraged the Government to announce who the suspected perpetrator was and what their immigration status is as soon as possible. Mr Benn seemed keen to avoid confirming anything.
Monday 8th June
Outside the House at London Tech Week, the PM announced that if big tech firms did not activate built-in software protections that automatically detect and block explicit and nude images on smartphones and tablets used by children within three months legislation would be brought forward to mandate these protections.
In the House, Shabana Mahmood KC (Birmingham Ladywood, Labour) Home Sec announced a possible crackdown on children’s use of smartphones and social media.
Thursday 4th June
At Foreign Office questions on Thursday morning Sir John Whittingdale (Maldon, Conservative) asked what HMG would do to boost Ukraine’s air defences, whether Russia would be prosecuted for war crimes in Ukraine and whether HMG would designate Russia as a terrorist state. Seema Malhotra (Feltham & Heston, Labour) PU-S FC&DO could only summon up the prospect of “meaningful dialogue and talks” in response, which seemed somewhat less than full-throated, but while the Royal Navy has to rely on French interception of Russian shadow fleet oil tankers perhaps that is the current limit of British power projection.
Priti Patel (Witham, Conservative) Shadow ForSec, sporting “Mrs Evil” spectacles, asked if HMG would reconsider loosening the sanctions on Russian oil refined in third countries and what the UK could do to further back Ukraine and prevent strikes on other NATO nations, such as the Geran-2 drone strike on a block of flats in the Romanian city of Galații on 29thMay that had caused an explosion and two civilian injuries.
Paul Kohler (Wimbledon, Liberal Democrat) asked HMG to consider transferring £30bn of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine now and ban UK maritime services (ie insurance) to Russia. Miss Malhotra offered nothing new. Sigh
Thank you for reading and please check out our instagram @theworldofukpolitics,
Alex
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