At times like this you have to thank your lucky stars that the opposition leader is not in Downing Street
O
n another day it might even have been quite funny. The mismatch between Kemi Badenoch’s self-belief and her performance. But Wednesday’s prime minister’s questions was far too serious for that, with Donald Trump’s Awfully Big Iranian Adventure threatening to escalate into all-out war in the Middle East.
It was also a day when you could think the unthinkable. Might Kemi actually be even weaker than Chris Philp? Certainly she’s the worst leader of the Tory party in living memory. There again, the gene pool of talent is no more than a puddle.
Sometimes a leader of the opposition just has to suck it up at PMQs. Put usual hostilities on hold for the sake of the country’s security. Keir Starmer had to do it quite regularly in the early days of the Ukraine conflict. Offering his unequivocal support to Boris Johnson. It’s called acting in the national interest. And there is a long term payoff. Because ultimately people recognise you as a serious politician. Someone whom the country might one day trust to be prime minister.
