Boris Johnson news: Keir Starmer says PM ‘making it up as he goes along’ as rumours grow of tax hikes from Rishi Sunak
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Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of “making it up as he goes along” during a fiery exchange at PMQs amid growing Tory wrath over his summer of U-turns – described by one Conservative MP as a “mega-disaster from one day to the next”.
The embattled prime minister sought to reassure his Cabinet as they reconvened on Tuesday after the summer recess that although in the last few months they have been “sailing into the teeth of a gale, no question ... sometimes it is necessary to tack here and there in response to the facts as they change, in response to the wind’s change”.
Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak has been warned against “shortsighted” alleged plans to divert billions from the foreign aid budget to pay for defence and intelligence upgrades, as Dominic Raab pledged to fight famine as he launched the controversial new department set to replace the Department for International Development.
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Sir Keir Starmer is opening on the government's exams fiasco, citing the revelation that Gavin Williamson was warned two weeks ahead of results day of looming problems.
He asks for "a straight answer to a straight question, please, prime minister: when did he first know there was a problem with the algorithm?
Boris Johnson wishes the leader of the opposition a happy birthday, and responds that "on the exams and the stress that young people have been through", both he and Mr Williamson understand the stress they have been through in trying to take exams during a pandemic.
"As a result of what we've learned about the tests that the results that have come in, we did institute a change. We did act," Mr Johnson says. "The pupils of this country now do have their grades, and I really ask [Mr Starmer] whether he will join me in congratulate these pupils on their hard work and whether they deserve the grades they've got?"
Boris Johnson 'making it up as he goes along', Keir Starmer says
Keir Starmer accuses Boris Johnson of avoiding his question on when he knew about the problems with the exams algorithm.
"He either knew of the problem with the algorithm and did nothing, or he didn't know when he should have," he says, repeating his question.
Mr Johnson says Ofqual "made it absolutely clear time and again that, in their view, the system that was in place was robust" and that it is an independent organisation.
The prime minister accuses the Labour leader of "all summer long ... going about spreading doubts, in particular about the return of schools", which he said occurred "despite all the gloom and dubitation that [Mr Starmer] tried to spread".
Keir Starmer responds: "The prime minister is just tin-eared and making it up as he goes along. The education secretary stood at that despatch box yesterday and said that Labour's first priority has been getting children back to school ... he knows it very well, he's just playing games".
"And he's fooling nobody. Even his own MPs have run out of patience."
'I think I'll make the decisions today': Speaker tells Boris Johnson to answer questions he is asked
Confronted with angry remarks from members of his own government about his summer of U-turns, read out by Keir Starmer, the prime minister attempted to establish his own list of volte faces, earning himself a reprimand from the Speaker in the process.
"This is a Leader of the Opposition who backed remaining in the EU, now has performed a U-turn," he said. "This is a Leader of the Opposition who has supported an IRA-condoning politician who wanted to get out of NATO and now says absolutely nothing about it. This is a Leader of the Opposition who sat on the front bench..."
Sir Lindsey Hoyle, interrupts, telling him: "I think there are questions being asked. We do need to try to answer the questions being put to the prime minister. It would be helpful to those watching to know the answers."
After a further comment from Mr Johnson on what would be "helpful" for those watching to know, Sir Lindsay Hoyle again interjects: "I think I'll make the decisions today."
Boris Johnson told to withdraw remarks appearing to attempt to link Keir Starmer to IRA
Responding to the PM's jibe of "Captain Hindsight", an audibly angry Keir Starmer retorts: "He's governing in hindsight. That's why he's making so many mistakes."
"Before I go on, the prime minister said something about the IRA, and I want him to take it back. I worked in Northern Ireland for five years with the police service in Northern Ireland bringing peace. I prosecuted serious terrorists for five years, working with the intelligence and security forces and with the police ... I ask the prime minister to have the decency to withdraw that comment."
The prime minister had accused Sir Keir of being "a leader of the opposition who supported an IRA-condoning politician who wanted to get out of Nato" – an apparent reference to former leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Mr Johnson responded to the calls to withdraw his comments, on request from the Speaker, by saying: "I listened to the protestations of [Mr Starmer] and I think they would have been more in order throughout the long years in which he supported a leader of the Labour Party...", before trailing off amid interjection from the Speaker.
Our policy correspondent Jon Stone has more on the exchange:
PM refuses calls to extend furlough scheme
"Mr prime minister, it's the same every time. Pretend the problem doesn't exist, brush away scrutiny, make the wrong decision then blame somebody else. This has got to change, because the next major decision is for the furlough scheme. The jobs of a million people are at risk," Keir Starmer says.
He calls on the prime minister to extend the furlough scheme.
Boris Johnson starts his response by conflating the return to schools and return to workplaces, saying the government wants to do both and has already spent £40bn on the furlough scheme.
"What we would rather do is get people into work through our kickstart scheme, which we are launching today - £2bn to support young people toget the jobs they need," he continues, claiming the Labour leader "wants to keep people out of work in suspended animation".
The SNP's Ian Blackford also calls on the prime minister - echoing the PM's comments at yesterday's Cabinet meeting as he sought to reassure ministers after a summer of U-turns - to "change tack for a ninth time" in eight months, by extending the furlough scheme.
The call was again rejected, with the PM citing a preference not to have people "languishing out of work".
Tory MP calls for rail networks to introduce flexible season tickets for part-time commuters
Damian Green told the Commons that realistically, many people will only want to return to work for two or three days a week, urging the prime minister to "use his considerable powers of persuasion to encourage the rail industry to introduce immediately flexible season tickets, so that those people are not tied into traditional work patterns".
Boris Johnson responded that "we are working at pace with rail companies to try and deliver new products in terms of ticketing, which ensure not just better value, but also enable people to get back to work in a flexible way".
Government reapplies northern lockdown measures after 24 hours in latest U-turn
Lockdown measures have been reimposed in Covid-hit Northern towns after just 24 hours in yet another government U-turn, our deputy political editor Rob Merrick reports.
Bolton and Trafford will now remain under existing restrictions – after Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, condemned the lifting as “completely illogical”.
Ministers had been accused of bowing to pressure from local Conservative MPs, despite rising infection rates, causing “chaos and confusion”, local leaders protested.
Lifting the restrictions in Trafford and Bolton would have allowed residents to once again meet people outside their ‘bubbles’, either indoors in homes or in gardens.
Announcing the U-turn, health secretary Matt Hancock said it followed “a significant change in the level of infection rates over the last few days”.
Ian Blackford alleges 'targeted political smear from the prime minister's office'
Speaking on a point of order, Ian Blackford told the Commons: "On Friday 21 August, the Daily Mail ran a front page story revealing the location of the prime minister's holiday in Scotland.
"This was a violation of his family's privacy that neither myself nor my party in any way condone. Later the same day, a senior Conservative source in Downing Street told The Sun newspaper, and I quote: 'The finger of blame for all this getting out is being pointed at the SNP, particularly Ian Blackford, who is local'.
"This was subsequently repeated in a number of newspapers and broadcast outlets. This allegation and briefing was entirely and deliberately false. It was a targeted political smear from the prime minister's office.
"The photographer who provided the material for the original Daily Mail front page later confirmed that I was not the source in revealing the prime minister's location ... however by this point the damage was done. This matter has not only been the worst kind of political smear, the false allegation has equally resulted in security implications for myself and my family, given its serious and personal nature."
He added: "It is a very serious situation when the apparatus of the UK government can be deployed in this way, manufacturing false briefings in order to attack an opposition politician."
24 people arrested for ‘facilitating illegal immigration’
A total of 24 people have been jailed for “facilitating illegal immigration” so far this year, according to Home Office minister Chris Philp.
Responding to an question in the House of Commons, he said: "The majority of these crossings are facilitated by ruthless criminal gangs who make money from exploiting migrants who are desperate to come here.
"We're working with the National Crime Agency to go after those who profit from such misery. Already this year 24 people have been convicted and jailed for facilitating illegal immigration."
Mr Philp said 34 people who attempted to cross the Channel today were picked up by the RNLI. He said the French authorities also stopped 84 migrants from making the journey on the French side today and over 3,000 crossing attempts have been stopped this year.
Mr Philp added that the UK is working to return around 1,000 people who have illegally entered the UK after already having claimed asylum in another country.
Johnson accused of ‘governing in hindsight’ as he faces MPs after summer break
Boris Johnson was accused of "governing in hindsight" after presiding over a series of U-turns on coronavirus policy as he appeared before MPs for the first time since July.
The prime minister faced the charge from Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who said Mr Johnson is "tin eared" and "making it up as he goes along".
Sir Keir said the prime minister's own MPs have "run out of patience", following criticism from Tory backbenchers which saw one describe events as a "mega-disaster from one day to the next".
Mr Johnson dubbed his opposite number "Captain Hindsight" following the exam results fiasco, saying he was "leaping on a bandwagon, opposing a policy that he supported two weeks ago".
But the Labour leader, responding during Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons, said: "The problem is he's governing in hindsight, that's why he's making so many mistakes."
Mr Johnson was chastised during the exchanges by the speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle who urged him to "try and answer the questions being put to the Prime Minister".
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