‘Is everything OK, PM?’ – Starmer echoes concerns over Johnson’s speech mishap at spiky PMQs
Sir Keir Starmer questioned whether Boris Johnson was “okay” as he accused him of introducing a “working-class dementia tax” through this week’s reform to social care funding.
The Labour leader said the prime minister was fronting a “Covent Garden pickpocketing operation” over the reform that means only what individuals personally pay for their social care will contribute to the lifetime £86,000 cap.
It was pushed through the Commons by a small majority after a Tory rebellion but experts have said it will mean poorer people will reach the cap faster than wealthy individuals so would see more of their assets eaten up by care costs.
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Is PM losing Tory support?
Raising the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said: “The only thing he is delivering is high taxes, high prices and low growth. I’m not sure the prime minister should be shouting about that.
“And it isn’t just broken promises, it’s also about fairness. Everyone needs protecting against massive health and care costs.
“But under his plan, someone with assets worth about £100,000 will lose almost everything yet somebody with assets of about £1 million will keep almost everything.”
After quizzing the prime minister a number of times on the issue, Sir Keir added: “It’s a classic con game. A Covent Garden pickpocketing operation. The prime minister is the frontman, distracting people with wild promises and panto speeches whilst his chancellor dips his hand in their pocket.”
And he asked: “How could he possibly have managed to devise a working-class dementia tax?”
The PM retorted that the social care plan “does more for working people up and down the country than Labour ever did”.
Mr Johnson earlier this week gave a speech to business leaders in which he imitated a car engine, lost his place and effusively praised Peppa Pig World, prompting exasperation from some senior Tories.
And on top of the Tory rebellion over social care, he has been plagued by criticism over standards after a U-turn the government performed after initially whipping Conservative MPs to reject suspending now ex-Tory MP Owen Paterson for breaching lobbying rules.
Sir Keir used PMQs to echo a reporter’s question after the Peppa Pig speech, as he asked: “Is everything OK, prime minister?”
The PM replied: “I’ll tell you what’s not working – it’s that line of attack.”
The PM said his social care reform ‘does more for working people than Labour ever did’
Mr Johnson used Sir Keir’s attack on him for downgrading rail plans for the Midlands and the North by saying there has been “nothing like it for a century”, as he referenced a promised £96 billion investment and three new high-speed lines.
He added: “It turns out that (he) actually campaigned against HS2, said it would be devastating and said it should be cancelled.”
Mr Johnson said: “I took a decision that it was the right thing to do for the long-term interests of the whole country, how can they possibly trust that man?”
Current laws in the United States do not explicitly protect open source software developers and create the risk of retroactive prosecution.
Jeremy Kranz, founder of Sentinel Global, a venture capital firm, said investors should be “discerning” and read the fine print on any stablecoin.
Politics
Labour deputy leadership candidate accuses opponent’s team of ‘throwing mud’ and briefing against her
Lucy Powell has accused Bridget Phillipson’s team of “throwing mud” and briefing against her in the Labour deputy leadership race in a special episode of Sky’s Electoral Dysfunction podcast.
With just days to go until the race is decided, Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby spoke to the two leadership rivals about allegations of leaks, questions of party unity and their political vision.
Ms Powell told Electoral Dysfunction that through the course of the contest, she had “never leaked or briefed”.
But she said of negative stories about her in the media: “I think some of these things have also come from my opponent’s team as well. And I think they need calling out.
“We are two strong women standing in this contest. We’ve both got different things to bring to the job. I’m not going to get into the business of smearing and briefing against Bridget.
“Having us airing our dirty washing, throwing mud – both in this campaign or indeed after this if I get elected as deputy leader – that is not the game that I’m in.”
Ms Powell was responding to a “Labour source” who told the New Statesman last week: “Lucy was sacked from cabinet because she couldn’t be trusted not to brief or leak.”
Ms Powell said she had spoken directly to Ms Phillipson about allegations of briefings “a little bit”.
Bridget Phillipson (l) and Lucy Powell (r) spoke to Sky News’ Beth Rigby in a special Electoral Dysfunction double-header. Pics: Reuters
Phillipson denies leaks
But asked separately if her team had briefed against Ms Powell, Ms Phillipson told Rigby: “Not to my knowledge.”
And Ms Phillipson said she had not spoken “directly” to her opponent about the claims of negative briefings, despite Ms Powell saying the pair had talked about it.
“I don’t know if there’s been any discussion between the teams,” she added.
On the race itself, the education secretary said it would be “destabilising” if Ms Powell is elected, as she is no longer in the cabinet.
“I think there is a risk that comes of airing too much disagreement in public at a time when we need to focus on taking the fight to our opponents.
“I know Lucy would reject that, but I think that is for me a key choice that members are facing.”
She added: “It’s about the principle of having that rule outside of government that risks being the problem. I think I’ll be able to get more done in government.”
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Insider vs outsider
But Ms Powell, who was recently sacked by Sir Keir Starmer as leader of the Commons, said she could “provide a stronger, more independent voice”.
“The party is withering on the vine at the same time, and people have got big jobs in government to do.
“Politics is moving really, really fast. Government is very, very slow. And I think having a full-time political deputy leader right now is the political injection we need.”
The result of the contest will be announced on Saturday 25 October.
The deputy leader has the potential to be a powerful and influential figure as the link between members and the parliamentary Labour Party, and will have a key role in election campaigns. They can’t be sacked by Sir Keir as they have their own mandate.
The contest was triggered by the resignation of Angela Rayner following a row over her tax affairs. She was also the deputy prime minister but this position was filled by David Lammy in a wider cabinet reshuffle.
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