Jeremy Corbyn criticises David Cameron for not turning up to answer questions on his new EU deal

The PM is instead having giving a speech

Jeremy Corbyn in Parliament (Crown Copyright)

Jeremy Cobyn has criticised the Prime Minister for not coming to Parliament to answer questions about this morning’s draft European Union deal.

The Labour leader was granted an urgent question in Parliament by the Speaker an hour after the draft deal was announced by European Council president Donald Tusk.

Mr Cameron did not show up to attend the question session, however, having instead scheduled a speech on the subject in Chippenham.

“It’s rather strange that the Prime Minister is not here. Only two of his Cabinet colleagues is only in attendance today,” Mr Corbyn said.

“I should be pleased about this, I suppose, but the Prime Minister seems to think he should be in Chippenham paying homage to the town where I was born, making a speech about negotiations with the EU, rather than his duty to report to this house first – to whom he is accountable as Prime Minister.

“He’s trumpeting the sovereignty of national parliaments of part of renegotiations but doesn’t seem to accept the sovereignty of this parliament to make the statement he should have done.”

The Labour leader said Mr Cameron could be back in London within an hour to make a statement on the deal.

He asked ministers to bring Mr Cameron to Parliament on Wednesday to that he could answer questions.

David Liddington, the Government’s Europe Minister, confirmed Mr Cameron would make a statement on the subject tomorrow and said the PM needed time to “digest” the deal.

“It has always been [the Prime Minister’s] intention to make a statement after Prime Minister’s Question tomorrow,” he told Mr Corbyn.

“The text of those draft documents has been changing over the weekend as recently as yesterday.”

Mr Liddington accused Mr Corbyn of having “focused entirely on the choreography and made not one question on the substance”.

The EU has offered Mr Cameron a diluted version of his core renegotiation demand – a four year waiting period before EU migrants can claim out-of-work benefits.

Under the proposals, benefits for new migrants would gradually increase during the four year period.

Out-of-work benefits are unaffected by the changes and Mr Cameron had not sought any changes to these rules.

European Council president Donald Tusk unveiled the draft deal with Mr Cameron on Tuesday morning.

According to the proposals, the substance of the deal would be written into treaties when they were next revised for other purposes.

Mr Cameron will have to convince other EU nations at a summit later this month as well as his own MPs and the British people of the deal’s effectiveness.

After the deal is taken forward Mr Cameron will hold a referendum on European Union membership – expected before the end of 2017 but possibly as early as this summer.