May labours to lift mood with cod and Salmond
Tradition dictates that the State Opening of Parliament is supposed to be a witty occasion. But given appalling events in Manchester and London, there was not too much room for levity.
Dennis Skinner, however, did his best. In time-honoured fashion, the Beast of Bolsover made his customary heckle – this time it was at the expense of the Queen whose Royal Ascot had been so rudely interrupted.
“Get your skates on. First race at half past two,” shouted the veteran republican at Black Rod before the head of state made her speech.
The Queen had arrived in 0 Evolutionary: Speaker John Bercow approved dinosaurs a car rather than a carriage, reflecting the rather low key atmosphere. If she was minus a carriage, then spare a thought for the Prime Minister, who was minus a majority.
But having delivered a mea culpa statement on the government’s poor response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, Theresa May did attempt to lighten the mood.
The butt of the Prime Minister’s first effort at a joke was another big beast of politics.
“I understand that once as fisheries minister he mixed up his cod and his skate,” said Mrs May referring to her Tory colleague and former fisheries minister Richard Benyon.
Trying – but not quite succeeding – to make her gag sound uncontrived, Mrs May swung back and delivered a fish-related punch line.
“But I’m sure like the rest of us he won’t fail to welcome the absence in this House today of Salmond,” said Mrs May.
It was a remark that spawned (geddit?) fury on the SNP benches. The SNP MP Carol Monaghan wondered if the Prime Minister had been uncharitable about the former First Minister because he “scared her”.
Meanwhile the DUP’S Jeffrey Donaldson took offence at the Green MP Caroline Lucas. Lucas suggested the lack of environment policy in the Queen’s Speech was down to Mrs May being influenced by “DUP dinosaurs”. Donaldson complained that Lucas had used “unparliamentary” language.
Speaker John Bercow ruled that Lucas was quite in order to describe the DUP in that manner. But perhaps he should have also pointed out that the DUP are far from an extinct species. Their ten MPS are, in fact, alive and well and holding the balance of power.