Hancock, the government's Illegal Migration Bill and a comprehensive plan to bolster the NHS workforce - this week had it all!
Flying High: Sir Keir Starmer
Starmer lands this week’s top spot after delivering an impressive performance at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday. The chosen topic? Housing. The line of attack? Targets.
In typically lawyerly fashion, Starmer pressed Sunak on the party’s official policy on housing, highlighting the fact that some Conservatives had attacked targets during the recent local elections. When asked whether he was for building 300,000 new homes a year, or against it, Sunak deliberately avoided giving a direct answer.
On the contrary, Labour have been clear on their intention to reintroduce the target, overhaul the planning system and prioritise first time buyers. His boldness on this issue, which has traditionally been a Tory strong point, shows he is listening to the electorate. Given the current pressures in the rental and housing market, this was a very timely and clever intervention by Starmer.
Middle ranking: Suella Braverman
The government’s pledge to “stop the boats” suffered a blow this week, as the Court of Appeal ruled that the planned deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda – a key element of the flagship Illegal Migration Bill - was unlawful. The decision followed concerns that Rwanda was not safe and that asylum seekers would be returned to their home countries.
In response to the ruling, the policy’s strongest proponent, Braverman, appealed to the electorate claiming that the system was “rigged against the British people”. In a statement, the Prime Minister said he “fundamentally disagreed” with the judgement despite having “respect” for the court. The government is now seeking to appeal against the decision at the Supreme Court, with the government said to be optimistic about the prospect of having the decision overruled, given it was not unanimously supported by all three judges.
The ‘us against them’ rhetoric from Braverman is deliberately provocative, but will likely resonate amongst Tory hardliners, especially if the policy is abandoned before the next general election.
Sinking slowly: Matt Hancock and Steve Barclay
It’s been a fairly miserable week for Health Secretaries past and present.
Considered less of a politician and more of a television personality these days, Hancock’s time as Health Secretary came back to haunt us this week as he faced the Covid-19 inquiry for the first time. His role at the helm of the Department of Health during the pandemic has been highly scrutinised in the last few years, not least because he broke the very rules he helped make, yet this was the first time Hancock faced bereaved families in person.
The forensic questioning from the inquiry’s lead counsel brutally exposed the government’s woeful leadership, preparedness, and response to the pandemic. Hancock admitted that the health system was “not fit for purpose” but fell short of accepting responsibility for the state of the social care sector prior to the outbreak.
The inquiry will not look favourably on Hancock, but with time ticking on his parliamentary career, it will be left to others to pick up the pieces. The current Health Secretary and his successors, whichever side of the House they come from, will be learning lessons for months and years to come. With further NHS workforce strikes announced this week, Steve Barclay will be hoping his new workforce plan will deliver the long-term investment so desperately needed.