PMQs: Corbyn displays renewed confidence as NHS dominates

Today could well have been Jeremy Corbyn’s last turn at Prime Minister’s Questions as the leader of the opposition. It was certainly the final PMQs presided over by John Bercow in the Speaker’s chair, as the controversial figure is set to step down from his role tomorrow. That notable resignation was supposed to come ahead of Brexit, but instead it will take place just before the dissolution of parliament and an early general election.

The latest PMQs was an opportunity to get some insight into the attitudes and approaches of both Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson now that an election has been called. The Labour leader followed the Prime Minister’s tribute to Bercow with his own praise of the Speaker, which noted that parliament is “no longer a gentleman’s club” thanks to his reforms. While conveying warmth, Corbyn also included levity – backing Arsenal in the match tonight and joking that Labour “loves a bit of banter”.

This is when the first embarrassing – and telling – moment happened for the Tories. It became apparent that members on the government’s side of the chamber were laughing at Corbyn on account of his bright green tie. The tie he was clearly wearing in tribute to the victims of Grenfell, who have seen the first damning public inquiry report published today. Several reporters in the press gallery noticed that Theresa May was forced to tell off her colleagues. It is this kind of moment that can be easily amplified during a general election campaign, and come to represent a crucial aspect of a contender. In fact, if it were properly captured by cameras in the Commons, that conduct would have already presented a big problem for the “nasty party”.

Something similar occurred when Corbyn brought back his old, much-mocked technique of quoting a member of the public who sent to him a piece of casework. Gillian, the Labour leader said, wrote this week and told him that her mother died in February “as a direct result of the GP shortage in the UK”. Cue much groaning from the Tory benches. The case involved long waiting times and overstretched staff, Corbyn continued, before asking: “Why should that happen to Gillian’s mum or anyone else’s mum?”. To make the heartless noises offered by Conservative MPs worse, Johnson claimed in response that he would “deal with” Gillian’s concerns. This gave the distinct impression that he had not listened properly to the question, and didn’t care – as he moved swiftly on to Russia and all sorts of other scattergun attacks.

PMQs provided Labour with insight into the key Tory lines during the election campaign: Corbyn is a “flip flopper”; his party stands for “drift and dither”; and Labour will hold two referendums in 2020, one on the EU and another on Scottish independence. The first two claims are easier to rebut than the last. The party will have to find a better response to that accusation if it is to avoid a 2015-style fate. But the Labour leader did appear more confident than he has been for months, with clear speech, an ability to come across as a normal person and – most importantly against Johnson and the Tories – a willingness to adjust tone according to context.