PMQs: Corbyn highlights failure to tackle “burning injustices”

Once again, Jeremy Corbyn rejected Brexit as a debating topic at Prime Minister’s Questions and instead attacked Theresa May on issues of inequality and social mobility. The consistent theme running through both the Labour and Tory local election campaigns is avoidance of Brexit: Corbyn’s party has sought to send the message that ‘austerity isn’t over’, while May’s party has tried to avoid criticism for not delivering Brexit, a strategy summed up as ‘bins, not Brexit’. It is therefore no surprise that the leaders were happy to talk about anything else, particularly as cross-party talks are thought to be making progress, though the subject of cuts naturally benefits Corbyn most.

Able to keep the head-to-head discussion within his comfort zone, the Labour leader landed blow after blow as he repeatedly argued: “Under this government, things in this country are getting worse.” As he has done at PMQs before, Corbyn made reference to the Prime Minister’s original commitment to fighting “burning injustices”, which was clearly never pursued under her leadership. He also picked up on the Social Mobility Commission report published yesterday, which warned that inequality remains entrenched in our society “from birth to work”. Throwing numerous damning stats at Theresa May, Corbyn pointed out that social mobility is going backwards, life expectancy is falling for the first time since 1945, infant mortality is rising and up, and a record number of food parcels were given out last year.

The Prime Minister’s defence? It was difficult to see that there was one. “The best route out of poverty for people is to be in the workplace,” she replied. A general value statement did nothing to rebut Labour’s concrete claims about very worrying developments caused by ideological austerity. And, as Corbyn was quick to identify, low and frozen wages – as well as dysfunctional government reforms such as Universal Credit – mean many of those receiving food parcels are actually in work. Often poorly paid, insecure employment. This afternoon, the Labour leader was the clear winner – if you can win a debate about the most vulnerable in society losing out on decent standards of living.