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PM debate subdued as Corbyn sets new trend
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Newly elected British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn yesterday engaged with David Cameron for the first time, bringing a low-key style to the usually raucous weekly showdown of Prime Minister’s Questions.
The radical left-winger, whose refusal to sing “God Save the Queen” drew ire from the right-wing press, broke with convention and selected his six questions from the public having “crowd sourced” ideas online.
Questions from “Angela,” “Steven,” “Gail,” “Marie,” “Paul” and “Claire” dealt mainly with the provision of affordable housing and welfare cuts, hinting at the issues that will form the basis of his opposition.
The spectacle was far from the cut and thrust of previous Cameron grillings by Corbyn’s predecessor Ed Miliband, and the cheers and jeers from opposing sides of the House of Commons were less audible.
Corbyn’s subdued style even stood out in the way he was dressed — his brown jacket and dark trousers contrasting with the dark-blue suits preferred by many MPs, including the prime minister himself.
“I want things to be rather different because I think the public as a whole have had enough of ‘yah-boo sucks’ politics, theatrical politics,” the 66-year-old socialist said earlier.
Cameron welcomed the call for a more orderly debate and was less blustery than before. “If we are able to change PMQs and make it a more genuine exercise ... no one would be more delighted than me.”
He even turned the tables on Labour MPs when they heckled one of his answers, saying “I thought this was the ‘new question time’.”
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