PMQs as it happened: David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn clash over brewing NHS crisis

Labour leader accuses PM of presiding over 'false economy' on the NHS

Matt Dathan
Online political reporter
Wednesday 16 December 2015 12:25 GMT
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(PA)

David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn have clashed over the growing crisis in NHS finances at the last Prime Minister's Questions of the year.

The Labour leader picked up on the worrying report from the National Audit's Office, which warned that the NHS is heading towards a £2.2bn deficit by the end of this financial year, accusing Mr Cameron of presiding over a "false economy".

But the Prime Minister hit back, insisting the Government had committed to the plan set out by NHS England chief executive Simon Stephens by pledging £8bn towards the NHS - pointing out that Labour had failed to match this commitment at the general election.

Mr Cameron also rejected growing calls for Donald Trump to be banned from the UK following his controversial comments calling for a ban on Muslims entering the United States, but condemned the Republican candidate's remakrs as "divisive, stupid and wrong".

He said that instead of banning him from the UK, we should invite him over because that would "unite us all against him".

Look back at how the last PMQs of the year unfolded here:

At the start of the year no one could have predicted that Jeremy Corbyn - then a frequent Labour rebel who sat as far back as possible on the Labour benches - would be leading Labour's charge at the last Prime Minister's Questions of the year.

He will want to end the year on a bang and will try to deal a blow to Mr Cameron on the NHS and his mounting problems with his party over his stumbling EU renegotiation.

But the Labour leader may also want to take the chance to list the growing series of Government U-turns.

The latest - on fracking and watered down plans on banker accountability - can be added to tax credits and the delay over a decision on aHeathrow as topics to embarrass the Prime Minister with.

Expect back bench MPs on all sides of the House to take the chance to quiz Mr Cameron on these even if Mr Corbyn decides not to.

Mr Cameron is likely to face his biggest test from his own MPs ahead of his key summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday with fellow EU leaders, where he hopes to persuade them of the case for limiting EU migrants' access to in-work benefits.

Tory eurosceptics were already unhappy with the proposals, disputing the Prime Minister's argument that blocking benefits will stop EU migrants coming to Britain.

But now that even those plans appear unachievable, expect plenty of taunts from the awkward squad at PMQs.

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