Policeman stands guard outside 10 Downing Street.

PMQs: Criticism over devolution comments

Prime Minister’s Question focused on the Prime Minister’s comments about devolution that came earlier in the week.

The Prime Minister was quoted as saying that devolution had been a disaster for the United Kingdom, with the Scottish National Party (or Nationalist Party as the PM referred to it) focusing too much on splitting up the UK instead of levelling up the United Kingdom as a whole.

Mr Johnson was asked to defend his comments by Leader of the Opposition, Sir Keir Starmer, as well as Leader of the SNP in Westminster, Ian Blackford. Johnson didn’t backtrack on his comments, and instead doubled down, citing his time as Mayor of London, which he spent trying to level up the whole country.

The matter of self-isolation also had a spotlight shone on it, with the Prime Minister having to do so after being in contact with an MP who had tested positive for Covid-19. Keir Starmer asked the Prime Minister whether he would have been able to self-isolate had he not been a Government minister, who may have to rely on either statutory sick pay or a £500 lump sum, with the latter only being available to people who rely on some form of credit from the government.

“If you can’t afford to self-isolate, there’s very little point in being tested or traced,” was the statement from Starmer, which highlighted a major reason why only 11% of people that are being told to self-isolate are doing so.

From the Prime Minister’s side of the house, he was asked whether more could be done to support football clubs who were in danger of going under to which the Prime Minister said:

“We don't want any football team to go out of business as a result of this pandemic and we are doing everything we can.

I understand the frustration of fans and we want to get crowds back into the ground as soon as possible.”

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PSE February/ March 2024

Digital Infrastructure - the key to shaping the future of our rural communities

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It is the role of local government leaders to make the decisions that will best deliver for the communities that they represent. That much is obvious.
 

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Great strides have been made in ensuring that everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, or social class is represented in some way within local government. Chief Executive of Westminster City Council Stuart Love joins host Dan Benn to talk about why this work is important, the different work that is being done in Westminster, and how his background influences his stance on equality and diversity.

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