Overview
- With Keir Starmer in China, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy stood in at PMQs and faced questions on the government’s business-rates policy.
- Kemi Badenoch continued her rotation tactic by selecting Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith to lead Tory questioning focused on retail, hospitality and leisure relief.
- Griffith pressed the claim that more than 90% of firms in those sectors would receive nothing from the U-turn, which Lammy did not directly confirm.
- Lammy countered by branding Griffith a co-author of the 2022 mini-budget, as reporters judged the exchange heavy on jibes and light on policy detail.
- Commentators noted subdued Conservative benches and the visible presence of recent Reform recruits, underscoring the party’s awkward optics during the session.