Jeremy Corbyn misses more open goals in PMQs on what Theresa May knew of Donald Trump’s travel ban as PM whips up her troops
The PM was ready to defend herself as Jeremy Corbyn asked "what happened?" to standing up to the US president
This should not have been an easy Commons outing for Theresa May.
What she knew - and crucially when - about Donald Trump's controversial travel ban policy was a subject that even Jeremy Corbyn realised he should probably ask about.
But clearly expecting scrutiny at her weekly joust about whether she raised concerns about the executive order to tighten America's borders when she was at the White House last Friday, the PM was ready.
Presented with the giant open goal, Mr Corbyn managed a gentle tap into the net for his first question: she had said she was “not afraid to speak up to Donald Trump - what happened?”
Mrs May stuck to her line that “this policy is wrong” and it even looked like she was preparing to tough it out and duck the questions.
But under further scrutiny, Mrs May is an expert at managing to look like you are asking a question, when actually fudging the answer.
She claimed that she had NO advance notice on ban on refugees and NO advance notice on whether Brits might get caught up in the travel ban - so far so good.
But on whether she knew that travel restrictions were coming, the PM said everyone knew it was coming because the President had said so on the campaign trail - that will be a yes then.
She swerved the details, but there was certainly no denial that she was aware when she was in the White House last week that the ban was imminent.
Mr Corbyn came with one half decent line when he held up a letter from the PM that he branded “her piece of paper”.
The subtle comparison to ex-PM Neville Chamberlain - who flew back from a meeting in Hitler in 1938 waving a promise from the Nazi dictator that he had no plans for war - was not lost on MPs.
After Labour's Mike Gapes branded the PM “Theresa the Appeaser” on Monday, that one would have stung.
But by the time that Mr Corbyn had lifted his foot off the pedal by switching tactics to ask Theresa May about the NHS - “The NHS is not for sale and it never will be” - it was clear he had lost the moment.
Mrs May was able to whip up her troops into a frenzy by the time she hit her crescendo that “he can lead a protest, I am leading a country”.
The Tory benches were crying “MOOOORE” louder than Mr Bumble in Oliver Twist.
There was one flash of anger later when Labour’s Jonathan Reynolds rose up to demand more clarity on Trump and accuse the PM of not standing up for “British values.”
Riled, she furiously hit back pointing to her work on bringing justice for Hillsborough families, ending Modern Slavery and ending stop and search.
So a well crafted question that is delivered with some passion can get under the PM’s skin - it’s just a shame that the Leader of the Opposition is incapable of delivering them.
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