This week’s PMQs – the final session before tomorrow’s seismic by-election in Makerfield – was unusual. David Lammy was at the despatch box. The Deputy Prime Minister filled in for Keir Starmer who has jetted off to Evian, eastern France, for the G7. On the opposite benches, Claire Coutinho, the shadow energy and climate change secretary was facing him down. Here’s what we learned.
Wes Streeting opened a can of worms yesterday when, in a speech in the City, he announced that the Labour party under his leadership would reverse its ban of new oil and gas licences in the North Sea. Re-opening drilling is Coutinho’s favourite subject on which to hammer her opposite number Ed Miliband. In the world according to the Conservative Party, allowing for new licences in the ageing oil and gas basins off the north coast of Scotland would lower energy bills. Miliband and his team are adamant it wouldn’t. As a result, the shadow energy secretary used most of her 6-questions to push Lammy on the issue.
Lammy made some reasonable points. For example, the Deputy PM pointed out that it was only three years ago that the Conservatives were champions of net zero, and their move rightward on this issue is intended as a move to shore up more flighty support from Reform. But a story in the Times published last night – which claims that Miliband has been “ghosting” Starmer’s calls (something which his team denies) – certainly didn’t help matters. The pair reportedly didn’t see eye-to-eye on defence spending. “The Energy Secretary refused to meet the Prime Minister on a matter of national security,” Coutinho chirped, “why is that?”
Indeed, the resignation of two ministers from the Ministry of Defence last week (first John Healey, and later Al Carns) is still causing trouble for the government. Throughout the session, Healey stood behind the bar of the House, sternly watching the action unfold. “If everything is so hunky dory, why did half of his defence team quit last week?” Coutinho pushed. (Lammy was flanked to his right by Dan Jarvis, Healey’s newly minted replacement, with Rachel Reeves to his left.)
Even the Liberal Democrats got involved. In the battle of the deputies, it was Daisy Cooper who stepped into the fold instead of Ed Davey. She urged her colleagues in the Commons to “take heed” of Healey’s warning, and praised him for his resignation, before asking if the government would consider her party’s calls for defence bonds in order to boost military spending and reduce the UK’s reliance on the US. (Lammy responded, “we’re exploring the most effective mechanisms for multilateral cooperation.”)
Conspicuously absent was much mention of the social media ban, announced by the government on Monday. Throughout the whole session, only one question (which came from the Labour MP, Anna Gelderd) explicitly mentioned it. There was also little mention of the return of the Assisted Dying Bill to the House of Commons, after the Labour MP Lauren Edwards said she would use her successful private members bill ballot to bring the controversial legislation back to the Commons.
The usual quips about the long-running Labour leadership psychodrama ensued. At one point, the Conservative MP Mark Pritchard said should the Deputy PM “decide to run for Labour leader on Friday” he could count on his vote. Lammy threw his head back in a (perhaps too) over the top guffaw. The usual spectre of Andy Burnham lingered. During her six questions, Coutinho laughed: “If the Manchester mayor gets his way, I’m pretty sure half of the front bench are going to be getting a pay cut pretty soon.”
It would be remiss to pretend that this week’s action is going on in parliament. The benches of the House of Commons were unusually sparse; some MPs have already headed to Makerfield to get ahead of tomorrow’s rush. What the next few days will bring, on the whole, is anyone’s guess. The only certainty is that at next week’s PMQs, the Commons benches will welcome the new MP for Makerfield – whoever they may be.
[Further reading: Have the Greens all but conceded defeat in Makerfield?]
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