“That 1.3 million migrants over a period of two years is a catastrophe for Britain,” began Sir John Hayes (Con, South Holland and the Deepings), “is obvious to everyone apart from guilt-ridden bourgeois liberals and greed-driven globalists.”
An unfriendly start, and the irate Lincolnshire knight – a friend of the recently sacked Suella Braverman, and mistaken by no one at Westminster for either a bourgeois liberal or a globalist – proceeded to become more unfriendly.
He demanded the Prime Minister bring forward the Bill to deal with legal migration “in exactly the form recommended by his own Immigration Minister.”
Rishi Sunak was riled. He has not accepted the stringent measures recommended by the Immigration Minister, Robert Jenrick, and would not now be bounced into accepting them by a Braverman ally.
“I’m pleased to have the Right Honourable Gentleman’s advice and support,” Sunak said.
Alister Jack, the Scottish Secretary, who was sitting beside the Prime Minister, smiled at this ironical riposte, for as everyone could see, Sir John was not supporting Sunak, he was goading him.
It is uncomfortable for a Prime Minister to have to turn, as Sunak can be seen doing in the photograph above this article, in order to respond to an attack from his own side.
Sir Keir Starmer had already elicited from the Prime Minister the admission that “the levels of migration are far too high and I’m determined to bring them back down”.
According to Sir Keir, Sunak has “lost control of the borders”. Sunak retorted that this was “a bit rich” coming from someone who had “described all immigration law as ‘racist'”, and had “promised to defend free movement”.
The Conservative benches listened in gloomy silence to these exchanges. It may be true that the Prime Minister is keener on border controls than the Leader of the Opposition is, but in that case, why are the borders not being controlled?
Sir Keir told too many pre-scripted jokes. He is not auditioning to be a stand-up comedian, but to be Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The Labour benches were not amused by him.
But for the Prime Minister, the despondency on his own side of the House was far more striking, and worrying. He is in command of the facts, speaks indeed with marvellous lucidity, but has not the faintest idea how to raise the morale of his own troops.