AFTER a "relaunch" worthy of the Carry On team, Jeremy Corbyn stood up to the Commons despatch box for the first PMQs of 2017 with many comrades squinting and holding tightly onto the green benches.
Yet for once the Labour leader decided to focus and used all of his six questions on the topic of the moment – the NHS and the long waiting times people are suffering.
Indeed, Jezza even managed a joke at Mother Theresa’s expense, telling MPs: “Earlier this week, the Prime Minister said she wanted to create a ‘shared society’. Well, we certainly have that: more people sharing hospital corridors on trolleys; more people sharing waiting areas in A&E departments; and more people sharing in the anxiety created by this Government. Our NHS is in crisis but the Prime Minister is in denial,” declared the chief comrade.
Labour MPs, who had earlier greeted the arrival of their leader with such silence that Pete Wishart, the SNP’s champion for Perth, cupped his ear to mock the Opposition benches, increasingly became animated at the PM’s responses.
Indeed, when the top Tory declared: “I accept that there have been a small number of incidents in which unacceptable practices have taken place,” some comrades could not contain themselves and repeatedly shouted out “shame!”.
Indeed later on, faced with more questions about the NHS, John Bercow had to intervene to calm down the highly energised Paula Sheriff, the comrade for Dewsbury.
"I must say to the honourable member for Dewsbury if she were behaving in another public place like this, she'd probably be subject to an anti-social behaviour order," quipped the Speaker.
Surprisingly perhaps given Mr Corbyn’s u-turns this week on a pay cap and limiting immigration, one would have thought Mother Theresa would have exploited his so-called “day of chaos” but her only reference to Jezza’s slightly less than successful relaunch was a parting shot when she told the hairy Leftie: “Yesterday, the right honourable gentleman proved that he is not only incompetent but that he would destroy our economy and that would devastate our national health service.”
The Tory berserkers raised their voices to shout for more but for once the chief comrade left the Commons bear-pit with a spring in his step, believing he had landed a few blows on the “Maybot”.
However, given the deep despair felt by many Labour MPs even a few more point-scoring victories at PMQs will not change their view that their noble leader is doomed and will never make it into Downing Street.
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