Tories 'really have given up' as 'absentee' Rishi Sunak ducks PMQs, says Labour

05 July 2023 , 11:47
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'They really have given up,' Angela Rayner told the Tories (Image: PA)

Labour's Angela Rayner has accused the crisis-hit Tories of giving up on power after Rishi Sunak ducked Prime Minister's Questions - again.

Earlier the Liberal Democrats also claimed Mr Sunak had "thrown in the towel" over his poor attendance record at the weekly grilling in front of MPs.

The Labour MP Sarah Jones also accused the Tory leader of being "an absentee" PM.

Mr Sunak, who was attending a service to mark the 75th anniversary of the NHS, is also expected to miss next week's session as he attends the NATO summit in Lithuania.

According to an analysis by Sky News, the PM has already skipped 17% of the weekly sessions - one of the highest levels of recent inhabitants of No10.

Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade eiqrtiqxqirdinvTeachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade

Referencing Mr Sunak's notable absence at PMQs on Wednesday, Labour's Deputy Leader Ms Rayner said: "Two weeks on the trot - they really have given up".

Tories 'really have given up' as 'absentee' Rishi Sunak ducks PMQs, says LabourRishi Sunak spotted at the cricket over the weekend (Getty Images)

She also hit out at the "Tory mortgage bombshell" hitting families across the country after the Bank of England hiked interest rates again last week - the 11th consecutive hike.

She said: "Every day 4,000 families' mortgage deals expire, 100,000 more since we last met, and millions more next year.

"Families are sick with worry about the cost of the Tory mortgage bombshell. Do they still claim to be the party of homeownership?"

But Deputy PM Oliver Dowden hit back, saying: "It may come as a surprise to the right honourable lady, but actually some leaders trust their deputies to stand in for them."

He added: "And when it comes to mortgage rates, I support the independence of the Bank of England taking the necessary measures to control inflation."

He quoted the International Monetary Fund's assessment of "decisive and responsible action" to bring down inflation, saying: "We will continue to do so. But what's Labour's plan?

"To borrow £28 billion a year, pushing up inflation, to cut our domestic energy supply, pushing up inflation, and to penalise workers saving into their pensions, pushing up inflation. There we have it from Labour, endless borrowing and higher prices."

Liberal Democrat Chief Whip Wendy Chamberlain added: “A year ago today, Sunak resigned from Boris Johnson ’s government because he claimed standards like competence and integrity were worth fighting for.

“Now he’s too weak to vote to condemn Johnson’s partygate lies and too scared to even turn up to PMQs. Rishi Sunak has thrown in the towel while the country suffers from endless Conservative sleaze and scandal."

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Ashley Cowburn

Politics, Interest rates, PMQs, NATO summit, Liberal Democrats, Conservative Party, NHS, Labour Party

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