IT was, remarkably, an almost Brexit-free PMQs.
The culprit who raised the Brexit ghost was the Highland champion himself, bemoaning how the benighted UK Government had not matched the enlightened Scottish Government’s promise to extend free EU student fees to 2021.
Thezza pointed out, to a rumble of Tory indignation, the Scottish Government had announced “EU students can have free tuition up to 2024 but English students will have to pay”.
After Ian Blackford accused the PM of being “blinded by ideology,” he pointed out how under a no-deal scenario the Tory Government was planning on curbing EU visas to three years; the problem for European students was Scottish university courses were four years.
But the head girl couldn’t let the chief Nat get away with his ideology quip and snapped: “This is from the SNP!”
She argued if the SNP were so worried about Scottish students, it should spend more time improving education and less “obsessing about independence”.
Underlining the Con-Lab talks are at a sensitive stage, Jezza didn’t even mention the B-word but focused on England’s local elections, complaining about how “things are getting worse” under the terrible Tories.
The chief comrade accused Thezza of failing to tackle her famous “burning injustices” and complained things were so bad under Conservative rule “life expectancy in Britain is falling for the first time since 1945”. Of course, it could just be down to Brexit.
John Lamont, the Berwickshire champion, reminded anyone who needed reminding, May 1 was the Union’s 312th birthday and that, to Tory shouts of delight, most Scots felt it had served Scotland well.
Maggie May took up the cudgel and, to Conservative cheers and Nationalist jeers, declared: “It is time the SNP stopped ignoring those millions of Scots who do not want another independence referendum and got on with the day job of focusing on the issues that matter to people such as schools and the economy.”
Earlier, the PM couldn’t stop congratulating MPs who had taken part in the London Marathon, including her own PPS; the West Aberdeenshire MP Andrew Bowie.
The 28-year-old posted the fastest time of any of the 14 MPs who took part; an impressive 3:40:32. Indeed, he pipped Mr Lamont to the post by just two minutes; an achievement the latter acknowledged, promising colleagues he would “train much harder next year”.
Mr Bowie’s performance just goes to show: Downing St can get something over the line.
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