Keir Starmer labels ex-Conservative PMs Johnson, Truss and Sunak ‘utter failures’

Keir Starmer rubbished his three immediate Conservative predecessors as “utter failures” during a session of prime minister’s questions that was, for the most part, centred on national security and foreign affairs.

After Rishi Sunak, the Conservative Party leader, had finished asking his six questions, the prime minister said the last government’s record amounted to “fourteen years of failure”.

Starmer was asked by the former PM whether the foreign secretary, David Lammy, would urge the Chinese government to “lift” sanction on MPs critical of the country during meetings with officials this week.

The prime minister responded: “Yes. And we speak with one voice.”

But he added: “He speaks about the record of the last government. That record was fourteen years of failure: six years of austerity, three years of Brexit logjam, then Johnson, Truss, the Leader of the Opposition [Rishi Sunak]. Utter failure.

“And this government was elected to do things differently, to make fairer choices, but most importantly, to give Britain its future back.”

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