PMQ: Questions Around Lockdowns and School Meals

The United Kingdom Parliament met together for the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions Time. Labor Party and Opposition Leader Sir Keir Starmer asked multiple questions to Prime Minister and Conservative Party Leader Boris Johnson regarding COVID-19.

Starmer mentioned that the in the previous PMQ on December 16, Johnson said that there has been a significant reduction of cases. However, since that day, there have been one million new cases and seventeen thousand deaths from COVID.

Johnson said that a few days after the December 16 PMQ, the COVID virus mutated into a faster variant. Since then, 2.4 million people have been vaccinated, and that is more than any country in Europe.

Starmer accused Johnson for failing to act immediately on the new mutated virus. He said that Johnson’s advisors informed him that the November lockdowns were not strict enough and he needed to be tougher.

He pointed to the higher infection rates and higher death toll as an example of Johnson’s failure to act efficiently and quickly.

“The current restrictions are not strong enough to control the virus. Stronger restrictions are needed,” Starmer said.

Johnson informed Starmer that the actions he has taken to deal with the mutated virus have been working. Not only that, but he claims that Starmer refuses to look at the negative effects that shutdowns have on people.

“Nobody can doubt the serious damage that is done by lockdowns to people’s mental health, to jobs, to livelihoods, as well,” Johnson said.

The questions then shifted from lockdowns and vaccines to the distribution of food parcels to students at schools. Starmer quickly pointed out that social media has revealed how students are being underfed.

Although Johnson has said that the company in charge of the parcels has publicly apologized, Starmer said that Johnson is shifting the blame. It is under his leadership that is the cause for children being underfed. Under the Department of Education, the guidance for free school meals matches exactly to pictures and posts of underfed students on social media.

Johnson made clear that the free meals exist because they were implemented by his own conservative party. He pointed out that Starmer is hypocritical and that he tends to jump back and forth on different issues.

After calling Starmer hypocritical, the Speaker of the House, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, interjected to remind the two leaders to maintain civility.

Other questions by members of Parliament were asked in the remaining PMQ session.