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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Josh Salisbury

Jeremy Corbyn says he lives ‘rent free’ in Rishi Sunak’s head after PMQs jibe

Jeremy Corbyn has said he “lives rent free” in Rishi Sunak’s head after the Prime Minister criticised him in the Commons.

The former Labour leader hit out at Mr Sunak for giving a “wholly inaccurate representation" of his 2019 manifesto in a clash with Labour’s Keir Starmer during Prime Minister’s Questions.

Mr Corbyn, who now sits as an independent MP for Islington North, asked that Mr Sunak to correct the record and to "accurately reflect" his views rather than deliver "inventions made up by him or his office”.

The Prime Minister repeatedly referred to Mr Corbyn during PMQs, claiming that his “national security agenda" included "abolishing our armed forces, scrapping the nuclear deterrent, withdrawing from Nato, voting against every single anti-terror law we tried, and befriending Hamas and Hezbollah".

But Mr Corbyn said he was given no advance notice of the plan to reference him at PMQs and noted this was against the conventions of the House.

Mr Corbyn told deputy speaker Nigel Evans: “He gave a wholly inaccurate representation of the 2019 election manifesto, which he must have been fully well aware of because he took part in many debates concerning the content of that manifesto during the election campaign.

“Could you guide me on how the Prime Minister could correct the record?

“And if I’m going to live rent free in his head at least he could accurately reflect what I think and what I say rather than inventions made up by him or his office."

Mr Evans said MPs are responsible for the content of their contributions in the chamber, but that he was sure the point of order would be passed on to the Prime Minister.

Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt said she recognised the need for MPs to give each other notice about plans to reference them in their speeches.

She added: “I suspect (Mr Corbyn) should be prepared for him to be discussed and, in particular, the Leader of the Opposition’s support for both him and the manifesto that he stood on to be mentioned on at least a weekly basis.

“If he’d like to help correct the record he could publish the manifesto that he stood on, which would have weakened this country and dismantled Nato."

Mr Corbyn replied: “The manifesto is freely available. Had it resulted in a Labour government we would not have such poverty, such food banks and such misery in this country today."

Mr Evans joked: “It’d appear it is not only the Prime Minister who lives rent free in your head, Mr Corbyn.”

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