PMQS: Johnson putting 'vanity' projects over needs of poor families

He said the increase would prevent the "harsh reality" for millions of families of "having to make the choice between paying their bills or feeding the children"

The Prime Minister declined to increase the level of benefit, but cited the support available to people thorugh the coronavirus crisis adding there was "no other country that has put his arms around 11 million workers in the way that this government has supported jobs, supported incomes, across the whole of the UK." 

The leader of the SNP in Westminster, replied that the "Prime Minister is more interested in finding money to spend on his own vanity project, a luxury VIP plane...Is he seriously saying that he wouldn't find £20 a week to help families who are struggling to survive?" 

It has previously been reported that Mr Johnson was revamping the RAF Voyager, the plane used by the Royal family and himself, for official business.

Liberal Democrat MP for Orkey Alistair Carmichael raised concerns about food standards when the UK ends its Brexit transition period, specifically citing the impact on Scottish beef farmers. 

He said: " Farmers in my constituency produce a high quality product, in which consumers can have confidence because those farmers can demonstrate lifelong traceability of their cattle.

"Their efforts have been undermined by labelling legislation in this country, which allows beef from anywhere in the world to be labelled as British, as long as it is packaged in this country.

"If the Prime Minister is serious about maintaining food standards, especially in light of any future trade arrangements. will he do something to close that loophole?"

The Prime Minister said the loophole "must be one of those things that is currently governed by the laws of the EU" and added that Scotland would be "bound to return to.. in an independent Scotland, should that catastrophe ever arise."

He added: "We take advantage of the freedoms that the British people have decided to take back to make sure that the Scottish beef farmers do have protections that they need."

Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition, challenged the Prime Minister on child poverty, and raised the u-turn yesterday over providing English school children free school meals during the summer.

He said he welcomed the U-turn but said it was “just one step” to reducing child poverty.

He told MPs: “The Prime Minister says poverty has not increased. I just read a direct quote from a Government report from a Government commission produced last week which says it has gone up by 600,000.”

“The Social Mobility Commission has a clear answer to my question – this anticipated rise in child poverty is not driven by forces beyond our control.

“I’m sure the Prime Minister would agree that an even higher child poverty rate would be an intolerable outcome from this pandemic, so what is he going to do to prevent it?”

Mr Johnson claimed there has been a reduction in poverty, adding that one of the best ways to help the poorest children in the country “would be to encourage all kids who can go back to school to go back to school now because their schools are safe”.  

Boris Johnson also repeatedly challenged Sir Keir to say that schools were safe to welcome children back to classrooms.

Mr Johnson said he had outlined financial support for local government, adding the country can be “very proud” of its investments and the response of local government officials.

He added: “There are some councils, particularly Labour councils alas, that are not opening their schools when they could be opening them.

“And I say to him, I hope for the last time, now is the moment when he can say to those Labour councillors that it is safe for kids to go back to reception, to year one, to year six, to early years. Will he now say it?”

Sir Keir did not explicitly say schools were safe to go return to for all pupils, prompting the Prime Minsiter to suggest it was "the unions" which were preventing him from doing so.