A week may be a long time in politics – but we have been given a glimpse of the next four years

Boris Johnson vs Keir Starmer is set to be a marathon battle, and their first clash at PMQs offered a clear taste of what’s to come, writes Andrew Woodcock

The PM struggled to combat the opposition leader’s forensic approach (Reuters TV)

It’s a mark of the shadow which coronavirus has cast over politics that the first Commons clash between a new Labour leader and a newish prime minister appeared almost a sideshow this week.

In normal times, Boris Johnson vs Keir Starmer at prime minister’s questions would have been treated as a generation-defining moment, pored over intensively for signs of the nature of the titanic battle due to play out over the next five or 10 years.

The two leaders’ styles, the slogans and soundbites they unveiled, the enthusiasm with which their packed backbenches welcomed them to the despatch box – all would be dissected for indications on how the struggle to come would shape up.