Labour leader admits calls to remain in EU jab-delay group
SIR Keir Starmer was last night forced into a humiliating climbdown after a furious clash with Boris Johnson after PMQs.
The Labour leader confronted the Prime Minister following tetchy exchanges in the Commons and was said to have gone into “meltdown”.
Mr Johnson had claimed during Prime Minister’s Questions that Britain’s Covid-19 vaccine programme would still be at the “starting blocks” if Sir Keir was in charge.
He said the Labour leader had repeatedly called for the UK to stay in the European Medicines Agency – an EU body which evaluates new drugs and authorises the use of vaccines.
Mr Johnson said this would have slowed down the UK’s response to the pandemic.
But Sir Keir described the remarks as “complete nonsense” and claimed Mr Johnson knew that he had never said that, from the despatch box or anywhere else.
But comments he made in the Commons calling for membership to be retained as part of the Brexit process were quoted back at him by Tory MP Mark Francois.
Sir Keir reportedly tackled the Prime Minister after PMQs had finished and launched an “angry” rant at his opponent.
But Labour whip Chris Matheson dismissed claims that he was forced to intervene in a corridor outside the chamber and pull away Sir Keir. He said: “There was a brief chat and then Keir and I left together.”
Sir Keir later issued a statement admitting that Mr Johnson’s claims had been correct and he had “made a mistake in his response”.
A spokesman said the Labour leader said he thought the PM had “falsely” accused him of wanting the UK to be part of the EU’s vaccine scheme, which the party said was not the case.
Mr Johnson had also mocked Sir Keir after a leaked report showed voters want him to be more patriotic.
After extensive work with focus groups to find out how the public views Labour under Sir Keir, the party was told MPs must pose with the union flag and dress smartly to win back voters it lost in the Midlands and the North.