PMQs: A quick catch-up

Corbyn opened with a strong line

“The Prime Minister emerged from her Chequers away day to promise a ‘Brexit of ambitious managed divergence’,” said Corbyn. “Could she tell the country what on earth ‘ambitious managed divergence’ will mean in practice?”

Labour has the backing of business

Corbyn accused the Tory government of ignoring the concerns of “94 per cent of small and medium-sized businesses” over Brexit.

He asked the PM whether she thought Liam Fox would be better at identifying the “business opportunities of the future” than the CBI, the Engineering Employers’ Federation (EEF) and the Institute of Directors.

Quite a moment when Jeremy Corbyn cites the CBI and the Institute of Directors against a Conservative prime minister. #PMQs

— George Eaton (@georgeeaton) February 28, 2018

May accused Corbyn of “betrayal”

As Jeremy Corbyn delivered hard-hitting questions, the Prime Minister was forced to repeatedly rely on the tired and dangerous accusation that the Labour leader is “betraying” the country. This time, his “betrayal” is apparently due to his announcement earlier this week that Labour will back membership of a customs union with the EU.

May’s rhetoric has so far been ineffective in terms of convincing the general public that Corbyn is a malicious threat, and there is no sign that this strategy will start working now.

Such language has also been identified as dangerous in its contribution towards a climate in which political violence has escalated. Let us not forget that, just last year, a terrorist who has now been found guilty of murder hired a van and ploughed into people in Finsbury Park with the expressed intention of killing Corbyn.

The PM told the opposition to “calm down”

There was a weird moment where May told the Labour frontbench to “calm down” in a strange homage to David Cameron’s off-key “calm down dear” jibe.

Theresa May tells the Labour front bench to “just calm down” #PMQs pic.twitter.com/rPXxBpFDjd

— Sky News (@SkyNews) February 28, 2018

Tory soundbites are falling flat

“Every time the cabinet meets, all we get is even more bizarre soundbites,” said Corbyn. He went on  to list them: “Brexit means Brexit”, “Red white and blue Brexit”, “liberal Brexit” and finally “ambitious managed divergence”.

As others have pointed out, the latest soundbite sounds a lot like “conscious uncoupling”, the term Gwyneth Paltrow used when she and Chris Martin separated. (Is it safe to assume Coldplay fans generally voted Remain?)

Corbyn slammed the cabinet’s “outsized egos”

“This is a government in disarray,” said Jeremy Corbyn in the final PMQs exchange.

“The government is so divided, the Prime Minister is incapable of delivering a coherent and decisive plan for Brexit,” the Labour leader added.

“When is she going to put the country’s interests before the outsized egos of her own cabinet?”

“This is a gov’t in disarray. Every time the cabinet meets, all we get is even more bizarre soundbites” @jeremycorbyn “When is she going to put country’s interests before the outsized egos of her own cabinet?”

“My priorities are the priorities of the British people” @theresa_may pic.twitter.com/j559DoFeZk

— BBC Daily Politics and Sunday Politics (@daily_politics) February 28, 2018