PMQs: Corbyn misses, Rees-Mogg scores

Theresa May began PMQs this week with a heartfelt tribute to Sir Jeremy Heywood, who is stepping down as cabinet secretary due to ongoing cancer treatment. Jeremy Corbyn joined the prime minister in thanking the UK’s most senior civil servant for his service.

Other than that, the rest of this week’s session seemed strained. It was clear from May’s nervous stutters and Corbyn’s uncharacteristic sedateness that neither wanted to be there. May most likely because she was awaiting a meeting of the 1922 Committee later in the day, with the failing Brexit talks on the agenda. Corbyn on the other hand is probably worn out from his recent trip to South America, where he was embarking on the vital and timely task of rallying the Chileans…

With the budget looming Corbyn chose to focus on austerity. Once again he questioned May’s conference statement that “austerity is over.” He cited Derby Council, who have said the “financial outlook is extremely challenging.” So who is right? Corbyn asked.

Ms May’s robotic rebuttal was the same line we’ve seen before. “People need to know their hard work has paid off,” “austerity is coming to an end,” “support for public services is going up…” yada yada, deja vu.

Corbyn then employed his usual tactic. There was no one solid line of questioning. Instead he rattles through numerous problems and statistics. There are fewer nurses, fewer police, councils are struggling. May comes back by saying there is more money for the NHS, there is more money for the police, there is more money for local councils. As their PMQs charade goes on it has become increasingly clear that Corbyn likes to talk about people (fewer nurses) and May likes to come back with figures (£20bn extra funding for the NHS). Neither’s facts or statistics are necessarily wrong, but the parallel conversations they have are hardly illuminating.

There was the usual attempted attack on Universal Credit, the struggling welfare reform scheme, too. Esther McVey, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said recently that some families would be worse off under the new scheme. Corbyn told the prime minister that she is “out of touch with reality” if she thinks Universal Credit will do anything other than leave people poorer. May responded competently, citing her usual stats about increased employment, and in a moment of sincere self-effacement she said: “We are not replicating the old system because the old system didn’t work.”

Theresa May rounded off with a damning figure – Labour’s last election manifesto would have cost the country one thousand billion pounds. The Tories were right to laugh, and it allowed May to repeat her favourite soundbite of the day: “Unlike Labour, we will continue to live within our means.”

The verdict? Not a classic of the genre by any stretch. Corbyn was clever not to focus on Brexit, but not clever enough to mount any meaningful challenge to May. She looked relieved ahead of the 1922 committee meeting this evening. It was at best for Corbyn a 1-1 draw.

They both just seemed very tired of the whole charade – and aren’t we all.

Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg got the only meaningful answer of the day. Edgy Brexiteers ever wary of betrayal had been worried by reports that the government will allow the European Court of Justice some role in settling disputes post-Brexit. May told Rees-Mogg that the suggestion is plain wrong. The ECJ’s writ will no longer run in the UK. Cue Tory Brexiteer delight. You don’t see that every day.