Ed Miliband and Rachel Reeves step up as Keir Starmer tests positive for Covid

Keir Starmer has tested positive for Covid and is isolating for the fifth time, which means Ed Miliband is stepping up to do Prime Minister’s Questions and Rachel Reeves will replace the opposition leader in responding to the Budget and spending review.

The Labour leader has already isolated due to close contact with a positive Covid case four times before: in September and December last year, and in January and July earlier this year. Starmer had not tested positive himself until now.

It is understood that Starmer has been doing daily lateral flow tests and the test today came back positive just before PMQs. Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner could not step up to take his place at the despatch box as she remains on bereavement leave.

Miliband, the former Labour leader who is now in the post of Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, grilled the Prime Minister on tackling the climate crisis ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow.

LabourList understands that the plan had already been to go on COP at PMQs today, which made Miliband the logical choice for standing in.

As Shadow Chancellor, Reeves will respond to Rishi Sunak’s Budget and spending review this afternoon following PMQs. She has taken a lateral flow test today, which came back negative.