In especially heated exchanges during today’s PMQs session, both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer were haunted by the ghosts of leaders past. 

As the PM and leader of the opposition rowed over the records of their respective predecessors, the growing liability Liz Truss first found herself in the firing line. The Labour leader accused her of “slagging off and undermining Britain” during her much-derided appearance last week at CPAC, the Trumpy gathering of US conservatives. 

Starmer mocked her conspiratorial claims of being “sabotaged by the deep state”, branding it as evidence that the Conservatives had become the political wing of the Flat Earth Society.

He took issue too with her deafening silence when another speaker at the conference, former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, labelled Tommy Robinson, the far-right English Defence League founder, a “hero”. 

“Why is he allowing [Truss] to stand as a Tory MP at the next election?” asked Sir Keir, demanding the PM take action over her embarrassing day out.   

Starmer has a point. Liz Truss – seemingly undaunted by mere historical realities – went full-tin foil hat at CPAC, bringing ridicule to her party. 

That said, Starmer has his own troublesome predecessors, even if they are banned from standing as Labour candidates. 

Indeed, Starmer’s scrutiny of Truss opened up an easy line of attack for the PM. Other Labour frontbenchers refused to serve under former Jeremy Corbyn, Sunak reminded Sir Keir. His own stint as a shadow cabinet minister under Corbyn proved he was “spineless, hopeless and utterly shameless”.

Sunak wasn’t finished. He accused the Labour leader of failing to take action “while antisemitism ran rife in his party” during Corbyn’s tenure.

And this accusation allowed the PM to bring his criticism back to the present day. Has the Labour leader reversed Corbyn’s damaging legacy? The Rochdale by-election mess would suggest otherwise, said Sunak. Starmer stood by disgraced former Labour candidate “for days” before withdrawing his support, even after it had emerged that he had told a Labour party meeting that Israel had “allowed” Hamas to attack it as a pretext to invade Gaza. 

Nigel Farage was also mentioned. Starmer asked Sunak whether he would welcome back the former Brexit party leader into the Tory fold. The Prime Minister didn’t answer that point but punched back.

Starmer looked as though he was enjoying it. And no wonder. He’s miles in front in the polls with Farage’s Reform threatening to further reduce the collapsing Tory vote.

Reminder, there are at least four months left of this until the Commons summer recess, and then another four months or so until general election day.

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