Commons Leader Lucy Powell has reflected on the Tories’ “legacy” in government, with her own rendition of The Twelve Days Of Christmas carol.
Ms Powell changed ‘a partridge in a pear tree’ to “a prime minister at a lockdown party”, in her version of the festive song.
As Parliament sat for the final time before the Christmas recess, she said: “Going into 2025 (Jesse Norman) might want to be a little bit more reflective of why his party lost the election.
“But look, given it’s Christmas time, why don’t we take one final opportunity to look at their legacy, if you’ll forgive me.
“12-hour A&E wait times, 11% inflation, 10 Lords defeats on Rwanda, nine million inactive workers, 8,000 bus routes cancelled, seven million on waiting lists, six councils bankrupt, five prime ministers toppled, four million children in poverty, three broken pledges, two nurses’ strikes, and a prime minister at a lockdown party.”
Following a festive theme during business questions, Ms Powell also joked that MPs who have followed Parliamentary procedure this term will be in Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s “Christmas good books”.
Reflecting on her own party’s performance since the election in July, she said: “It’s been difficult, of course, as we face unprecedented challenges and a very difficult legacy.
“Trying to return Government to the service of ordinary working people, not vested interests, is a big task for us to undertake. But the oil tanker, as they say, has started to move.
“We are taking on the water bosses to end the scandal of bonuses over investment. We are for the first time ensuring our homegrown energy supplies meet our ambitious targets for clean energy by 2030.
“We are addressing the housing need and the housing crisis with bold action, bringing in new rights for workers and renters, and creating a transport system in service of passengers, not profits. And we are restoring our health and education into world-class services with record levels of investment.”
12-hour A&E wait times, 11% inflation, 10 Lords defeats on Rwanda, nine million inactive workers, 8,000 bus routes cancelled, seven million on waiting lists, six councils bankrupt, five prime ministers toppled, four million children in poverty, three broken pledges, two nurses' strikes, and a prime minister at a lockdown party
Ms Powell also set out future business, with the Renters’ Rights Bill remaining stages taking place on January 14, and the remaining stages of the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill, which proposes to charge VAT on private school fees, taking place on January 15.
Recess dates were also announced with Parliament set to return from summer recess – which starts on July 22 – on September 1. The House will also rise on September 16 for party conferences, and return on October 13.
Earlier in the session, shadow Commons leader Jesse Norman, Conservative MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire, used his contribution in business questions to argue that the plum pudding riots in 1647, which followed the banning of traditional celebrations nationally on Christmas Day, would not have happened if they had Herefordshire cider to drink.
He also told MPs: “This is the time of year when we think of friends and family, of our armed forces that keep us safe here and overseas, of those who care for others wherever they may be, and the emergency services that protect us all year round, but especially over the holiday period.”
