Boris Johnson slammed for PMQs ‘dodgy answers’
Boris Johnson was accused of either dodging questions or giving “dodgy answers” as he came under fire over the government’s coronavirus (Covid-19) contact tracing app.
Labour leader Keir Starmer clashed with Johnson at Prime Minister’s Questions over England’s readiness to ease lockdown restrictions.
Instead of answering a question about a working track and trace app, Johnson responded by urging Starmer to press Labour councils to encourage children to return to school.
Some £11.8 million was spent by the Government on developing its own NHSX app before it was ditched. It is now examining software created by Apple and Google to build one.
Starmer warned that the economy cannot be reopened without a successful track and trace system stating:
The prime minister risks making the mistakes he made at the beginning of the pandemic, brushing aside challenge, dashing forward, not estimating properly the risks.”
He continued:
Read on...
Up until last week, the Government maintained that the app was critical, another of their slides (at the daily briefing). But at the weekend (health secretary Matt Hancock) downplayed the app, saying it was only ever additional support. So which is it – critical or not?”
Johnson responded:
I wonder whether (Starmer) can name a single country in the world that has a functional contact tracing app? Because there isn’t one.”
Starmer countered: “Germany – 12 million downloads. I checked that overnight.”
The Labour leader also highlighted how two previous answers from the PM about a decrease in absolute child poverty and relative child poverty were judged “mostly false” by the office of the Children’s Commissioner for England.
He said another claim from the PM about fewer families living in poverty was also deemed “false”. Starmer stated:
He’s been found out. He either dodges the question or he gives dodgy answers.
No more witnesses, I rest my case.
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.
-
Show Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversationPlease read our comment moderation policy here.
I’m far from being convinced about Starmer, but one thing is sure, he is ruthless at PMQ.
It’s unfortunate that he didn’t make any positive contributions to the previous leader’s arsenal for PMQs. Along with the Labour Heirarchy he appears to have spent his time thwarting any attempts to Make Ukanian society more compassionate and structurally relevant to the needs of local communities throughout the land. The man was a barrister, that’s what they do. Guilty or not that’s what you get from a barrister. Remember Blair?