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May and Corbyn exchange slogans and insults at final PMQs before election

May and Corbyn exchange slogans and insults at final PMQs before election

Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have gone head to head in the final prime minister’s questions before the general election, exchanging campaign slogans interspersed with insults before a packed and noisy Commons.

Corbyn used what could prove his final appearance as opposition leader to return to his tactic of reading out emails from voters, explaining concerns about government policy on issues including the NHS, stagnant wages, school funding and pensions.

May, cheered on by an exuberant backbench, repeatedly turned the questions back to what she said was Labour’s inability to safeguard the economy and Corbyn’s unfitness to be prime minister.

The session ended with lengthy near-campaign speeches by the two leaders, distilling the messages they will present to voters before the 8 June poll.

Not only were May and Corbyn’s exchanges longer than usual, the session as a whole lasted a record 58 minutes, almost double the official half-hour schedule.

Corbyn focused on the NHS, following on from a question in which he quoted Sybil, an 88-year-old woman who he said was frightened of having to use an underfunded and overstretched health service.

“The NHS has not got the money it needs; the prime minister knows that,” the Labour leader said. “She knows waiting times and waiting lists are up. She knows there’s a crisis in almost every A&E department. Maybe she can go to a hospital and allow the staff to ask her a few questions.”

He continued: “Strong leadership is about standing up for the many, not the few. But when it comes to the prime minister and the Conservatives, they only look after the richest and not the rest.

“They are strong against the weak, and weak against the strong. Far from building a strong economy, schools and our NHS are being cut, people can’t afford homes and millions can’t make ends meet. That doesn’t add up to a stronger economy for anyone.

“The election on 8 June is a choice – between a Conservative government for the few, and a Labour government that will stand up for all of our people.”

May began her response by criticising the record of Labour in Wales over the health service there, before focusing on the election.

“In something over six weeks we will be back at these dispatch boxes again, and the only question is: where will we be standing?” she said. “Who will be prime minister of this great country? He says the choice is clear, and the choice is clear: every vote for him is a vote for a chaotic Brexit; every vote for me is a vote to strengthen our hand in negotiating the best deal for Brexit.

“Every vote for him is a vote to weaken our economy. Every vote for me is a vote for a strong economy, with the benefits felt by everyone in the country, and every vote for him is a vote for a coalition of chaos, a weak leader propped up by the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish nationalists.”

Using her key campaign phrase, which she had already said repeatedly in the exchanges, May ended, to cheers from her MPs: “Every vote for me is a vote for strong and stable leadership in the national interest, building a strong and more secure future for this country.”

The focus on what the Conservatives argue is Corbyn’s weakness as a leader began at the very start of prime minister’s questions, with Tory backbencher Michael Fabricant adopting the “strong and stable leadership” mantra for a question about the upcoming West Midlands mayoral election.

Another of May’s backbenchers, Richard Drax, then introduced another major theme of the Conservative campaign, questioning Labour’s policies on defence and security.

“Keeping our country safe is the first duty of a prime minister,” May responded, before looking to Corbyn: “The right honourable gentleman is simply not up to the job.”

Corbyn began by recalling that he had been opposition leader for 18 months, bringing ironic cheers of “More!” from Conservative MPs.

Taking a more sober approach, Corbyn said that since May was addressing “hand-picked audiences who can’t ask questions” at election rallies, he should ask some questions on the public’s behalf.

These included one from Christopher, whose husband had received pay rises of just 1% for the last five years; another from Andy, a parent whose grown children could not afford their own homes; and one from Laura, a primary school teacher worried about funding cuts.

May responded to the questions in part, but each time also condemned Labour’s record on the issues, and targeted Corbyn personally for criticism.

The SNP’s Westminster leader, Angus Robertson, chose a more targeted approach, asking May directly whether she could pledge to keep the so-called triple lock guarantee on pension rises.

May said only that “pension incomes would continue to increase” under a Conservative government, adding to speculation that the policy could be dropped.

The Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, said May’s government had “closed the door on desperate child refugees”, failed on social care and presided over the “rape clause” for women seeking exemptions for the two-child limit for tax credits.

Referring to May’s former description of the Conservatives being seen as “the nasty party”, Farron said: “Her party has never been nastier.”