STEPHEN Flynn was cautioned by the Speaker after suggesting Rishi Sunak had been dishonest about Britain’s economic fortunes.
The SNP’s Westminster leader said the Prime Minister had taken “honesty lessons” from Boris Johnson – after the disgraced former PM was found last week to have deliberately and repeatedly lied to Parliament.
His comments drew a warning from Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, after Sunak responded to say his opponents fail to understand global economic pressures in their attacks on the PM's claims of "economic optimism", as data has revealed the pressure on households from rising costs has not eased over the last month.
Flynn said: “In February, the Prime Minister told this here house that borrowing costs are back to where they should be. In March, he boasted we’re on track to halve inflation by the end of the year. And in May he said economic optimism is increasing.
SNP Westminster leader @StephenFlynnSNP was just WARNED by the Speaker for questioning Rishi Sunak's honesty. Just another normal day in Westminster 👍 pic.twitter.com/Id5x4XZe6X
— The National (@ScotNational) June 21, 2023
“Given the dire economic reality of today, is it not now clear that he’s taken his honesty lessons from Boris Johnson?”
Sunak replied: “[He] also failed to mention that not just the Bank of England, not just the [Office for Budget Responsibility], not just the OECD, but also the IMF, all of them have upgraded their growth outlook for the UK economy this year.
"Whilst he and others were predicting this country would enter a recession, the actions of this Government have averted that and we continue to be on track to keep reducing inflation because that is the right economic priority.”
The Speaker intervened before Flynn asked his follow up, saying: “Can I just say I want people to be a little bit more cautious as to what they say.
"This is the presence of the Prime Minister, there was a danger that it could be misled in the way it was put.”
Flynn went on: "Listening to the Prime Minister’s answer I don’t think he quite grasps the reality of the economic situation facing households across these isles, but how could he?”
The SNP MP added: “But it doesn’t need to be like this, it didn’t need to be like this, because mortgage deals in Ireland, they are not sitting in excess of 6%, they are around about 4.5%.
"Inflation in the euro area, that is not sitting at 8.7%, it is sitting at closer to 6%.
“Britain is broken, I have said for years after their EU referendum. Will he finally it admit that it was Brexit that broke it?”
Sunak insisted that interest rates in the UK were at similar levels to the US, Canada and Australia.
The Prime Minister added: “The rise in inflation and interest rates is a global phenomenon.
“But that is why early I set out that it was the right economic priority to have to bring inflation down, that is what this Government would do.
“But that requires difficult and responsible decisions. That is what leadership looks like, I don’t think the SNP will ever do the same thing.”
Consumer Prices Index inflation stayed at 8.7% in May, the same level as in April, despite experts forecasting a fall to 8.4%.
The Office for National Statistics meanwhile said the increase in food prices slowed from 19.1% in April to 18.4% in May after hitting a 45-year high in March.
