PMQs: Johnson caught offside on racism
Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer clashed over the Conservative Party’s stance on taking the knee at today’s PMQs, with Starmer accusing the PM of giving racism the “green light”.
The heated exchange comes amid growing anger at the racist abuse of England footballers after the Euro 2020 final – with Labour, prominent Tory MPs and England players all criticising the government for its attitude toward anti-racism campaigns during the championship.
Boris Johnson kicked off the session by congratulating the England football team and saying: “The nation is proud of each and every one of them” – a comment that was challenged by a Labour MP shouting: “Some of us were there at the start”.
Starmer echoed the PM’s support for the “young, diverse and humble” England team, saying it represents “the very best of modern Britain”. He asked: “Does the Prime Minister think that it was wrong to criticise the England team’s decision to oppose racism by taking the knee as ‘gesture politics’?”
The PM dodged the question, insisting that he utterly condemns all of the racist outpourings that followed the Euro 2020 final. He said the government is taking practical steps to ensure that if a fan is guilty of racist abuse online, they will not be allowed to any of the matches – “no ifs, no buts, no exemptions and no excuses.”
Starmer said his response “rings hollow” and asked the PM if England footballer Tyrone Mings was right to accuse Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, of stoking the fire of racism by dismissing taking the knee as “gesture politics”.
The PM responded by reiterating his support for the “fantastic” England team and told Starmer the Home Secretary had faced racism and prejudice of the kind “he could never imagine” during her career. He said Patel had taken practical steps to get black and minority officers into the police force in “record numbers”.
Starmer retorted: “I totally condemn all racism, including that directed at the Home Secretary, but she’s got this wrong. The whole country knows it, his own MPs know it.”
The PM said: “We made it absolutely clear that no one should boo the England team” – a claim that contradicts Patel’s previous comments that fans had a right to boo players who take the knee because it was “a choice for them”.
Starmer also picked apart Johnson’s claims that the government is taking “practical action” to stop racism by meeting with social media companies and legislating to address the problem, saying: “The online harms bill has been promised for three years… I’m not sure a 15-minute chat at a garden party moves things forward that significantly”.
He said: “The Government has been trying to stoke a culture war and they have realised they’re on the wrong side, and now they hope that nobody has noticed… What is it that this England team symbolises that this Conservative Party is so afraid of?”
Refusing to engage with Starmer’s questions, the PM retorted: “I don’t want to engage in a political culture war of any kind. I want to get on with delivering to the people of this country.”
Starmer rounded off the session by highlighting the importance of the anti-racism charity Show Racism The Red Card and claiming: “Far from giving racism the red card, the Prime Minister gave it the green light.”