Keir Starmer mocks Tory heckler over tier system prediction

Keir Starmer in the House of Commons - Credit: Parliament Live

Labour leader Keir Starmer has mocked a Tory heckler who said he was speaking “in hindsight” for his prediction about the coronavirus tier system.

Opposition MPs were left laughing at the government benches after the leader of the opposition pointed out that it was a prediction for the future, rather than him talking about something in the past.

Telling the Commons that politicians need to proceed with “precision and caution”, Starmer said the prime minister had been “fuelling the promise that within two weeks or so local areas have a real prospect of dropping to a tier below that they are in”.

“We need to level, in my view that is highly unlikely, and we might as well face that now,” he said.

“It is obvious that the new tier one may slow but it won’t prevent a rise infections, and it is far from certain that the new tier two can hold the rate of infections”.

Taking on Tory MPs on the benches opposite, he said: “I hear the mutterings but let’s just see where we are in two weeks.

“And I look across the House to members across the House who think that perhaps in two weeks their area is going to drop down a tier just before Christmas. Let’s just see”.

As a backbencher made a jibe about him speaking in “hindsight”, Starmer caused an uproar after he pointed out “this isn’t hindsight I’m telling you what’s happening in two weeks.”

“We know where we’ll be in two weeks, and I’ve no doubt there’ll be members on the opposite side who will be getting up and saying ‘I thought my area was going to drop a tier just before Christmas’.

“That’s not levelling, that’s not being straight, because that’s not going to happen.”

Speaker Lindsay Hoyle then went on to chastise Tory MP Gary Sandbrook for his constant interruption during the Labour leader’s speech.