Jeremy Corbyn’s last PMQs shows that he’s the leader this country really needs

Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs


Support us and go ad-free

Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) on 18 March was Jeremy Corbyn’s last one as Labour leader. And his performance shows why now, more than ever, he’s the leader this country really needs.

In fact, even Corbyn’s normal detractors suddenly seem to realise his value:

‘Generations to come will judge us’

Due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the usually packed PMQs benches were sparsely populated. Corbyn stated that:

Related articles

Read on...

Generations to come will look back on this moment and they will judge us – judge us on the actions that we take now. Our response must be bold, and it must be decisive. The market cannot deliver what is needed. Only collective public action led by government can protect our people and our society.

And he made the important point that:

collective action must not allow… the burden to fall most on those who lack the resources to cope, as happened after the finanical crash.

Crucially, he highlighted the fact that people understand restrictions on our lives are needed but that this can only happen if there’s:

balancing action to protect the most insecure and vulnerable in the interests of public health as well as of social justice.

Corbyn then asked the PM:

Will he step up now, and not tomorrow, and give support to those vulnerable people who live on the margins of our society – are vulnerable themselves and make us all vulnerable – and give them the support and the assurance that they desperately are searching for today?

Supporting those who need help

Corbyn’s other questions focused on the areas that have been woefully lacking from government announcements to date. This included the issue of renters:

And he raised the important issue about the levels of statutory sick pay in the UK:

You cannot feed a family on £94 a week.

Meanwhile, Angela Rayner summed up the PM’s response:

The prime minister we need

Even mainstream commentators like Robert Peston seem to be admitting that policies Corbyn’s team were rubbished for are now sensible:

We had the chance to have the prime minister we really need. Unfortunately, everyone from the mainstream media to extreme centrists smeared him, his team, and his ideas. Inequality was already rife in our society long before the coronavirus took hold. Our NHS was in crisis long before the pandemic. But the establishment chose to prioritise the interests of the 1%.

Now we’re left with a bumbling idiot in charge, prioritising business over people and services that were already stretched to breaking point. There’s no point lamenting what might have been. We just have to ensure that Johnson knows that we will not tolerate his lack of action for ordinary people.

Featured image via screengrab

We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support

The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.

The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.

So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.

Support us
  • Show Comments

    3. We cannot allow the Covid 19 health crisis to provide cover and an excuse for the Tories to get away with the Covert 2019 Rigged Election scandal. It is only by seeking justice to overturn Covert 2019 that we can remove this rogue Government from office to replace the blundering incompetence that now puts so many British lives at grave risk.

      A progressive Government of the people would prioritize the genuine needs of the people and our precious environment. That radical change of priorities is what we all desperately need in this time of crisis. This is far too important for complacent denial and acceptance of the Covert 2019 Rigged Election; we just cannot afford to give in.

      The Electoral Commission is toothless: A Watchdog that cannot watch is just a dog! We need to “Rescue our Watchdog” as All Votes Must Count. Please read, sign, share and Link to this Petition: 2019 TORY LANDSLIDE VICTORY DEMANDS URGENT NATIONWIDE INVESTIGATION. https://tinyurl.com/w4u9dwm

      To learn more about the fight to correct the injustice of the Covert 2019 Rigged Election join us here at Craig Murray’s Blog on the Discussion Forum: Elections Aftermath: Was our 2019 Vote & the EU Referendum Rigged? At this Link:
      https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/forums/topic/elections-aftermath-was-our-2019-vote-the-eu-referendum-rigged-toryrig2019/

      Labour members need to put the leadership contest aside and back their strong and trustworthy current leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to focus on the number one priority right now which is removing this rouge Tory Government from office before they inflict more pain and hardship on the British people. Don’t believe the “Boris Shit;” there will be no “levelling up” just another decade of austerity and “decimating down!”

      Boris and the Dom have a “Final Solution” for Social Care; the Tories will exploit Covid 19 to cull the elderly, vulnerable and disabled. There is a backlog to get food delivered, but the elderly are meant to just starve to death in their own homes if there is no one to help them. We need to get these dangerously deranged Tories removed from office ASAP or we can passively wait for “Herd Immunity” to “Slaughter the Sheeple!”

      Report comment

    Leave a Reply

    Join the conversation

    Please read our comment moderation policy here.

Related articles