A pro-Brexit Tory MP just asked a PMQs question worthy of John McDonnell

Peter Bone
Emily Apple


Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) returned on 22 April. And while in a different format – with limited MPs allowed in the chamber and others appearing virtually, it was almost business as usual.

Except in these weird times, when we’ve found ourselves agreeing with Piers Morgan, it was another unlikely contender who asked a question worthy of former shadow chancellor John McDonnell.

Pro-Brexit Tory Peter Bone, who “definitely” believed UKIP “has been a good thing for British politics”, slammed the banks’ response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

“What on earth is going on?”

Bone highlighted that many people are having to rely on their overdrafts due to the pandemic:

Yet the banks are charging 20% interest per year, which they’re going to increase to 40% in July. At the same time, they’re offering savers a pathetic interest rate of 0.1%.

And as many of us who paid the cost of the bank bailout through austerity know only too well, Bone stated:

Yet these are the same banks that were saved by billions and billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money.

Related articles

Before somewhat incredulously exclaiming:

What on earth is going on?

Although cut off mid-way, Bone managed to finish with a question that many people would like the answer to:

When are the banks going to act in the national interest?

You know it’s an apocalypse when…

Many Twitter users found themselves in the strange position of agreeing with Bone:

And others suggested that he did a better job than new Labour leader Keir Starmer at holding the government to account:

Others, however, couldn’t help but celebrate Bone getting cut off, given his previous parliamentary contributions:

Unfortunately, it’s not rocket science

While this was an eminently good question from Bone, the answer is not rocket science. Because the fact is that banks don’t and never have worked in the national interest. And it was only down to pressure that they caved at the beginning of the month and halted payments of billions of pounds to shareholders.

Accountability is needed. And the banks need to explain why they’re profiting from an international crisis. But the truth is that this is something the banks do very well. After all, banks profit from the climate crisis and the arms trade on a daily basis.

The only way this can change is through a revolution in our financial institutions; sweeping changes to ensure they work for people not profit. Unfortunately, this is not something either the Conservative Party (nor the Labour Party under Starmer) is likely to do.

Featured image via screengrab

We need your help ...

The coronavirus pandemic is changing our world, fast. And we will do all we can to keep bringing you news and analysis throughout. But we are worried about maintaining enough income to pay our staff and minimal overheads.

Now, more than ever, we need a vibrant, independent media that holds the government to account and calls it out when it puts vested economic interests above human lives. We need a media that shows solidarity with the people most affected by the crisis – and one that can help to build a world based on collaboration and compassion.

We have been fighting against an establishment that is trying to shut us down. And like most independent media, we don’t have the deep pockets of investors to call on to bail us out.

Can you help by chipping in a few pounds each month?

The Canary Support us

Related articles