Prime minister Liz Truss was today accused of “hiding away” from scrutiny after she dodged questions in the House of Commons, sending Penny Mordaunt in her place.
There was loud and derisive laughter from Labour benches as Ms Mordaunt told MPs that the prime minister could not turn up to answer an urgent question on the economic crisis resulting from her botched mini-Budget because she was “detained on urgent business”.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that Ms Truss should be showing leadership at this time, but told MPs: “The lady’s not for turning up.”
Sir Keir thanked Ms Mordaunt for answering a question addressed to the PM, joking: “I guess under this Tory government, everybody gets to be prime minister for 15 minutes.”
The Labour leader added: “It’s time for leaders to lead. But where is the prime minister? Hiding away, dodging questions, scared of her own shadow. The lady is not for turning – up.”
Shouts of “where is she?” and “weak” could be heard in the Commons after Ms Mordaunt appeared at the despatch box in the PM’s place.
And there was laughter from the Labour benches as the Commons Leader said: “With apologies to the Leader of the Opposition and the House, the PM is detained on urgent business… and I’m afraid you’ll have to make do with me.”
But Ms Mordaunt gave the jeers short shrift, telling MPs: “I think in terms of the opposition’s performance, I think Larry the Cat could give them a run for their money.”
Sir Keir said that Ms Truss no longer has a mandate, and had left a “vacuum” instead of leadership at the top of government.
He told the Commons: “Now is a time for consistent messaging. But what do we get?
“A prime minister saying absolutely no spending reductions, a chancellor saying there will be cuts. A prime minister saying she’s in charge, a chancellor who thinks he’s the CEO and she’s just the chair.
“How can Britain get the stability it needs when all the government offers is grotesque chaos? How can Britain get the stability it needs, when instead of leadership we have this utter vacuum?
“How can Britain get the stability it needs when the prime minister has no mandate from her party and no mandate from the country?”
