Rishi Sunak gently introduced Sir Keir Starmer to Prime Minister’s Questions by asking him to continue the UK’s support for Ukraine.
Their agreement on the necessity of continuing to send military aid dominated their first exchanges in the Commons since the election.
After Labour’s landslide victory in the election, Mr. Sunak, who will be replaced in November, avoided discussing any of the organization’s domestic priorities.
However, a rebellion over the two-child benefit cap forced Sir Keir to defend the government’s approach to poverty reduction.
He suspended seven Labour backbenchers on Tuesday for backing an SNP call to remove the limit.
After gaining a substantial working majority, the move demonstrated the new PM’s authority, but it could further exacerbate tensions with MPs from the party’s left.
When Sir Keir arrived for his first PMQs since entering Downing Street earlier this month, he was greeted by his own supporters with a huge cheer.
Mr. Sunak made the self-deprecating joke that he was “not the first person” British athletes heading to Paris for the Olympics would want to consult on how to win, continuing a theme that has been present since his defeat in the election.
The increased number of Labour MPs, who were having trouble fitting on the green benches on the government side of the House of Commons, let out pitiful sighs.
He then used his six questions to ask Sir Keir questions about national security and Ukraine, two topics on which the two main parties are strongly aligned. This suggests that he wanted to avoid further attacks by Labour on the Tories’ record.
After returning to power for the first time since 2010, Labour ministers have spent the weeks following the election attacking the state of public services and their financial inheritance.
At PMQs, Sir Keir maintained this theme by stating to MPs that his government had “inherited” numerous crises with “failure absolutely everywhere.”
Tempest talks
Adding that it was a “crucial sovereignty capability,” Mr. Sunak pressed the prime minister to continue discussions with Saudi Arabia regarding joining a joint project with Italy and Japan to build a new fighter jet.
Sir Keir said he needed to expand on “progress” in chats on the Storm fly program, which he portrayed as “truly significant”.
In light of reports that officials are concerned about rising costs, the prime minister has avoided answering questions about whether a recently launched review could result in the UK terminating its involvement in the project.
After Mr. Sunak inquired whether he would respond to additional requests for weapons, Sir Keir also stated that he wanted to maintain “unity” regarding support for Ukraine.
Benefit cap rebellion
Additionally, Mr. Sunak stated that the Conservatives would back the Labour leader if he decided to use military force without consulting Parliament.
Sir Keir opposed the Lib Dems, SNP, and Plaid Cymru’s call for Parliament to have a vote on the military action, despite supporting multiple rounds of strikes against Houthi sites in Yemen under the previous administration.
Since 2003, the majority of armed interventions have been subject to Commons votes, but PMs are not required by law to obtain MP approval.
A rebellion over the two-child benefit cap forced Sir Keir to defend the government’s strategy to combat child poverty elsewhere.
The Conservatives implemented the policy in 2017, which prohibits nearly all parents from applying for Universal Credit or the child tax credit for more than two children.
The government has stated that it will not make an “unfunded” commitment to do so, despite some MPs, charities, and anti-poverty campaigners’ renewed calls for its elimination following Labour’s landslide victory in the election.
Stephen Flynn, the leader of the SNP in Westminster, appealed to Sir Keir to alter course, noting that former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown was in favor of a change in policy.
In response, the prime minister stated that his administration was working toward reducing poverty by eliminating no-fault evictions for private renters and establishing breakfast clubs in primary schools.
See also: In November, the Conservatives intend to name a new leader