by Sir Keir Starmer labeled Rishi Sunak as “Mr Nobody” who “only gets Britain” as the pair clashed over the Government’s asylum plan in Rwanda.
The Labor leader accused the Prime Minister of not believing in the Rwanda “gimmick” and highlighted reports that Mr Sunak had concerns about the policy before taking up his current role.
He went on to claim that Mr Sunak’s Government was “blissfully disinterested” in the country outside Westminster.
Mr Sunak countered that Sir Keir has “no plan” for the country, adding: “Join us to deliver the long-term change the country needs – don’t go back to square one with it .”
Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said: “Back in 2022 when Boris Johnson claimed he would send asylum seekers to Rwanda, one ambitious Tory MP had reservations.
“He agreed with Labor that he would not work. It was a waste of money, the latest in a long line of gimmicks. Does the Prime Minister know what happened to that MP?”
Mr Sunak replied: “What he refers to is a document that he has not seen, that I have not seen, and that was reported second hand in some media newspapers.
“But what I can say to him is that I am absolutely clear that you have to stop the boats, and that is what this Government and the MP are going to deliver.”
Sir Keir said Mr Sunak was “red-handed against what he has now made his main policy”, adding: “I note he has not denied it. It doesn’t surprise me – £400 million of taxpayers’ money down the drain, nobody sent to Rwanda, small boats still coming.
“It’s hardly surprising that he wanted to end the scheme when he was trying to become Tory leader.”
The Prime Minister replied: “I have always been clear: you have to have effective deterrence to finally solve this problem. Indeed the National Crime Agency agrees that you need, in their words, an effective removal and deterrence agreement. And that is why, after I became Prime Minister, I negotiated a new agreement with Albania, thanks to which the number of people who came illegally from Albania has decreased by 93%.”
After listing similar schemes from other nations, Mr Sunak added: “He (Sir Keir) is the only person who is against a right-wing ban, not because it doesn’t work, but because he doesn’t really believe in it. control of migration.”
Sir Keir said Labour’s plan aims to “break up the gangs, process the claims and end the use of hotels”, adding of Mr Sunak: “Last year he started the year at say he was ‘Mr Steady’; then at his conference he was ‘Mr Change’; now he’s turned back to ‘Mr More of the Same’, no matter how many reboots, flip-flops he does – he’ll always be ‘Mr Nobody’.”
The Labor leader also pressed Mr Sunak to “stop pretending that up is down, black is white” and admit that the economy, immigration and the NHS have “failed”.
Mr Sunak defended the Government’s record, adding Sir Keir: “He talked about hotels – well, the first 50 are being closed and there are more to come.”
He added: “If he is interested in breaking the gangs, why is he not sure that he blocked, delayed and voted against it, when it came to the Nationality and Borders Act, and he voted against it, the powers that be in that Act which allowed us. now to arrest hundreds and hundreds of people involved in that illegal trade, who have been imprisoned for hundreds of years.
“He opposed that because he chooses the criminal gangs over the British people every time.”
Sir Keir accused the Tories of “losing control of the borders” before highlighting concerns about dentistry, flood defenses and children not attending school.
The Labor leader said: “His Government seems to have no interest in what is going on outside the walls of Westminster.”
Mr Sunak defended the Government’s record on schools, adding: “It’s always the same with him – there’s no plan, he’s just doing one thing for his union friends and another for the British people.”
Sir Keir countered: “New year, new nonsense. Every week he stands here and tells the country they should be thanking him, not questioning him.
“Point out that the view on the ground is very different to the view from his private jet and he says you’re talking down to the country. He doesn’t get it, he doesn’t get what a cost of living crisis feels like.
“He doesn’t know any school where children don’t turn up anymore, and he doesn’t understand what it’s like to wait in hospital.
“Doesn’t the country and Prime Minister deserve so much that Britain doesn’t get?”
Mr Sunak accused Sir Keir of failing to offer a “single new idea” in a recent speech, adding: “We’ve had four years as Labor leader and it’s still all slogans, no plan. “
He cited the Government’s measures on taxes, immigration and welfare reform, adding: “It’s clear, join us in delivering the long-term change the country needs – don’t go back to square one.”
