THIS is the moment Sir Keir Starmer has a testy bust-up with the Commons Speaker after getting a dressing-down over dodging questions.
He is seen confronting Sir at the end of today, where he had been admonished for veering off topic.
Sir Keir approached the Speaker’s chair after PMQs
Sir Keir Starmer was given dressing down over dodging Kemi’s questionsCredit: Parliament.tv
Starmer was pushed on delays to the defence investment planCredit: Parliament.tv
At one point the Prime Minister can be seen hitting his fist against the side of the Speaker’s chair.
Tonight the Speaker confirmed that he has raised the problem repeatedly with No10 staff in private.
It comes amid Tory fury that the PM has been dodging Kemi Badenoch‘s questions in recent weeks.
Sir Lindsay Hoyle was forced to admonish the PM in the chamber today after repeatedly pivoting off points put to him by .
He blasted: “Prime Minister, it is Prime Minister’s questions. We have got to concentrate.”
Tonight the Speaker’s office appeared to confirm their exchange at the end of the session surrounded the PM’s question-dodging.
A spokeswoman for the Speaker said that “answers should be confined to the points contained in the question.
“Every so often the Speaker has to remind Prime Ministers – and Ministers – of the rules of engagement in the Chamber.
“The Speaker has made this point to officials at No 10 on several occasions recently as well.”
In recent weeks Tory MPs have been furiously gesturing at the Speaker to insist he intervenes in Sir Keir’s potentially evasive answers.
The PM has repeatedly used questions on the crisis to attack Ms Badenoch for initially wanting to support the American strikes.
Today he also accused her of the “mother of all u-turns” after being asked about when his Defence Investment Plan will be published.
Sir Lindsay’s spokeswoman said: “The Speaker is not responsible for the questions asked by Members or the answers given by Ministers.
“Questions to Ministers should relate to matters for which they are officially responsible.”
It is the third occasion that the Prime Minister has been reprimanded for not answering questions.
Last month, the Speaker said during PMQs: “I am sorry I am interrupting you, but unfortunately we have to stick to Prime Minister’s questions, not Leader of the Opposition’s questions.”
He picked Sir Keir up on the same point in January and said: “We do not ask the Opposition questions. These are questions for the Prime Minister, not the other way around.”
This comes as Sir Keir faces mounting pressure to reveal Labour’s defence investment plan for the next decade.
Today the PM avoided answering on when the vital plan might appear and ignored one question on a ship-upgrade plan.
Ms Badenoch used recent accusations from George Robertson as ammunition. The ex-Labour Defence Sec and former chief slammed Sir Keir for delaying on defence funding and not providing key investment.
Lord Robertson said the government had left UK security in “peril” in a speech yesterday.
The PM disagreed with the claims and said the had committed to “the biggest boost to defence spending since the Cold War”.
Ms Badenoch retorted: “talking about an increase is not the same as giving an increase”.
She later referenced the Westminster of sex campaign in which Labour MP Samantha Niblett said she would bring sex toys into in the hopes of improving education.
The Tory leader told the Commons: “This is a moment of profound national seriousness. And what are they doing?
“They are promoting sex toys in parliament. That’s what they’re doing. It gives a while new meaning to fiddling while burns.”
The Speaker has had to remind the PM of the Commons rules a few times in past months
Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle MPCredit: House of Commons
The PM has been accused of dodging questions from Kemi BadenochCredit: PA
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Speaker of the House of Commons at the funeral of former Labour minister Phil WoolasCredit: PA
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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