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Keir Starmer described Boris Johnson as the “greatest threat to the future of the UK” following his comments on the Scottish recall, during the prime minister’s historical questions in which Johnson appeared via video link.
The prime minister isolates himself after a Conservative MP who attended a meeting in Downing Street tested positive for coronavirus and answered questions from inside No. 10 sitting at a desk.
Starmer began by asking Johnson why, in a Zoom call with Conservative MPs this week, he had described the return as “a disaster north of the border” and “Tony Blair’s biggest mistake.”
“So far, whatever our disagreements, there has been a very broad consensus on the return,” asked the Labor leader. “So why did the prime minister tell his MPs this week that the Scottish return is, in his words, a disaster?”
Johnson did not deny saying so, but avoided the question, arguing that “what has undoubtedly been a disaster” had been the way the SNP, he said, used the return to push for the UK breakup.
Starmer replied: “The biggest threat to the future of the UK is the Prime Minister, every time he opens his mouth about this.
“When the prime minister said he wanted to regain control, no one thought he was referring to the Scottish people. But the prime minister’s quote is very clear: he said the return has been “a disaster north of the border.”
“This is not an isolated incident. Whether it’s the domestic market bill, the way the prime minister has bypassed delegated parliaments over Covid’s response, the prime minister is seriously undermining the fabric of the UK. “
When asked again about his comments, Johnson agreed that there were “big advantages to return,” pointing to his own term as deputy mayor of London.
But she seemed to back her comments on the issue of the return in Scotland, saying that Tony Blair, who introduced her as prime minister, “has admitted that he did not foresee the rise of a separatist party in Scotland, he did not foresee the collapse of Scottish labor.”
Starmer used the rest of his questions to ask Johnson about the response to the coronavirus, saying that the reason only about 11% of people fully abide by the 14-day self-isolation period is that many cannot afford it. to get away from work.
Johnson said the measures of legal sick pay of £ 95 a week, or the one-time payment of £ 500 available to some people, was an “exceptional and exceptional” support package, and accused Starmer of failing to back the government. about Covid.
Starmer replied that “I was not going to take lectures on support.” He said: “The closure measures were passed the other week with Labor votes – [the PM’s] The deputies themselves broke the three-line whip. And I heard that about 50 of them have joined a WhatsApp group to find out how they will object next time. “
The Labor leader also highlighted allegations of cronyism and lack of transparency in private contracts related to the provision of protective equipment and other Covid measures.
His comments came after the National Audit Office said politically connected PPE providers had access to a “high priority” channel for government contracts, where offers were 10 times more likely to be successful.
Johnson responded: “Of course all government contracts will be published in the proper form and are already being published. But I must say that it is extraordinary that he attacks the government for purchasing PPE in large quantities. “
