5 things we learned from Boris Johnson's first ever Prime Minister's Questions
- Boris Johnson faced hs first ever session of Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons.
- The prime minister struggled to find the right tone against the opposition Labour party leader.
- However, Johnson is honing a clear message for the upcoming general election.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Boris Johnson came up against Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn in his first ever Prime Minister's Questions today, the weekly event in the House of Commons where the Conservative leader faces questions from members of Parliament.
So how did both leaders fare? Here's our verdict.
1. Boris Johnson struggled against Jeremy Corbyn
PMQs is an adversarial event in which the prime minister and leader of the opposition hope to land blows on each other, hoping to seem more authoritative and hammer home messaging which will stick in the mind of the public.
Many of his colleagues had expected that Johnson would cruise to victory against Jeremy Corbyn, who often struggled even against the relatively weak performances of Theresa May. But the prime minister struggled in his first-ever encounter with Corbyn.
The Labour leader asked Johnson repeated questions about his government's refusal to disclose the information has received from civil servants about the negative effects of a no-deal Brexit. Johnson was also questioned intensively about a Telegraph report which indicated that the government's Brexit negotiating strategy was "to run down the clock."
Watch one of the exchanges here:
Johnson at times tried and failed to change the subject, resorting to jibes, including labeling Labour's spending policy as "shit."
2. Conservative rebels will be a huge thorn in Johnson's side
Johnson unceremoniously kicked out 21 Tory MPs from the party last night after they voted with Labour to vote for a plan which could make a no-deal Brexit illegal. The group included Philip Hammond, who was Chancellor until a few weeks ago, David Gauke, the former justice minister, and Ken Clarke, a former Chancellor and the longest-serving MP in the House.
But despite being expelled from the party, most of the MPs sat stubbornly on the Conservative benches - where they reportedly plan to stay. Ken Clarke, alongside Theresa May, sat in the same seat for which he has sat for many years in an act of defiance against the prime minister.
3. Johnson is gearing up for an election
However, he made a revealing slip when he went off script in prime minister's questions, accidentally saying: "I want an election," before correcting himself.
He will try to seek a general election as early as this evening.
The problem is that Johnson will need two-thirds of MPs to vote in favour of an election, and Labour have confirmed they will vote against one until no-deal legislation has passed, which could be as early as next week.
That will force Johnson to try other means of forcing an election later this week.
4. Johnson gives an election preview
That was on show at Prime Minister's Questions, with Johnson hammering home his administration's key messages: Brexit will happen on October 31, the government will increase spending on education and put 20,000 more policemen on the streets, even though he appeared to be on the back foot for much of the exchanges.
The prime minister's chief of staff Dominic Cummings ran the Vote Leave campaign to leave the EU in 2016, which pulled off an unlikely referendum victory by hammering home a series of populist anti-Brexit messages, including the contested claim that the UK sends £350 million a week.
Both the prime minister and his team know the strength of simple populist messages, repeated tirelessly by the prime minister and his colleagues, and that will form a key plank of their election strategy - one which they hope can win them a majority.
5. Johnson's history of racist comments came back to haunt him
Labour MP Tan Dhesi received a standing ovation when he accused Johnson of making "derogatory and racist" remarks" about Muslim women and declaring "open season" on ethnic minorities. It is proof that Johnson, who last year compared Muslim women who wear burkas to "letter-boxes," will face constant reminders of his track record of racist, homophobic, and sexist comments.
Watch the exchange below.
Our Brexit Insider Facebook group is the best place for up-to-date news and analysis about Britain's departure from the EU, direct from Business Insider's political reporters. Join here.