Keir Starmer opened a tricky session of PMQs today with a joke. “One of Manchester’s great heroes is moving on after nearly a decade,” he said, “so let me congratulate Pep Guardiola.” While Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, may indeed be leaving at the end of the season, another Manchester figure has loomed larger over Westminster this week: Andy Burnham, who was announced yesterday as Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election.
The Prime Minister, clearly, has had plenty on his plate (though he appeared particularly buoyant about Arsenal’s historic Premier League title win). “A lot’s been happening in the past few days,” he told Kemi Badenoch – before accidentally informing the House that the UK government had secured a trade deal with “North Korea” rather than South Korea. Starmer was later handed a note alerting him to the slip and corrected himself with a laugh.
Meanwhile, Labour’s shadow leadership contest has begun in earnest. Wes Streeting, who resigned as shadow health secretary last week, swiftly declared his intention to stand in any forthcoming leadership race during a conference appearance in London over the weekend. In his first appearance outside the front bench since 2024, Streeting was seated in the chamber’s left-hand corner, flanked by allies and supporters. His disagreement with Burnham over rejoining the European Union surfaced in more than one question during today’s session.
But despite spending much of the past week under pressure, Starmer still had moments of sharp form. This week, Hannah Spencer, the Green MP for Gorton and Denton, asked her first PMQ. Rising amid cries of “anyone want a pint?”, Spencer pressed the Prime Minister on what is fast becoming her signature issue: MPs drinking while on duty. Starmer warmly welcomed her debut appearance before spotting an opportunity for a joke. “The Greens think their leader walks on water,” he said. “It turns out he just lives on water and doesn’t pay his council tax.”
Yet while Westminster’s attention has been fixed on Labour’s internal politics, another issue emerged for the government overnight. In a quietly released statement from the Department for Business and Trade, ministers announced plans to phase in sanctions on Russian-derived diesel and jet fuel processed in third countries. Although the government defended the move, critics argued it risked sending “negative signals” about the UK’s support for Ukraine.
Badenoch – who called the decision “insane” in a post on X – used all six of her questions to press Starmer on the policy. Referring to the government’s decision, approved by MPs yesterday, to ban new oil and gas licences, she argued that instead of relying on North Sea production, “he is now choosing to buy dirty Russian oil. That money will be used to fund the killing of Ukrainian soldiers.” Starmer defended the government’s energy strategy, arguing that the best protection against overseas energy shocks is to accelerate investment in renewables.
There was also a notably sombre moment near the end of the session. Karl Turner, the MP for Kingston upon Hull East – who had the Labour whip suspended following his “robust” criticism of government policy on jury trials – asked the Prime Minister about what he described as “hostile briefings and smears about my mental health from the lads in No 10 Downing Street”. As Turner spoke, the chamber fell silent. Starmer responded in measured terms: “I want to be absolutely clear that nobody should be smeared in relation to mental health. Nobody.” Moments later, Turner approached Chief Whip Jonathan Reynolds, whom he had criticised for shaking his head during the exchange. “That was disgraceful,” Reynolds appeared to shout before being ushered out through a side door by Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy.
It was not a picture of unity on the Labour benches. Today marked the final PMQs before MPs break for recess again next week. Parliament returns on 3 June. Until then, Westminster’s attention is likely to remain fixed on Makerfield.
[Further reading: The long coup]
Content from our partners
Related
Join the debate
Subscribe here to comment