Inside Politics: Battle for the ages

It is becoming a battle for the ages. Two fierce rivals went head-to-head yesterday just feet away from each other in one of the country’s most iconic settings, fighting it out to ensure their narrative of events prevails at the beginning of a seven-day saga. There were claims of leaks, hostile media briefings and straight-up “false stories.” Anyway, that is enough about the Wagatha Christie trial, which was far more interesting than Keir Starmer’s clash with Boris Johnson in the Commons after the Queen’s Speech. That was delivered earlier in the day by Prince Charles, who looked and sounded as though he’d rather be at the High Court for the Vardy vs Rooney showdown. More on the government’s legislative programme below.

Our political commentator Andrew Grice on what to look out for today:

There’s no re-match between Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer because prime minister’s questions does not take place during the six-day debate on the Queen’s Speech. Johnson is expected to visit Sweden and Finland to agree separate defence pacts with them.

Today’s second day of the debate will be on “preventing crime and delivering justice”, with Priti Patel due to face Labour’s Yvette Cooper.

On the select committee corridor, Tom Pursglove, the immigration minister, will be quizzed about the government’s controversial plan to send some asylum-seekers to Rwanda. Two other ministers, Victoria Prentice and Penny Mordaunt, will be questioned about the impact of the UK’s trade deal with Australia on food and farming.

In the lead up to the Queen’s Speech, much of the conversation centred around what might feature in the government’s plans for the next parliament. But talk quickly changed to what was missing once Prince Charles had set out Boris Johnson’s legislative agenda. Despite a spiralling cost of living crisis and political paralysis in Northern Ireland, there were no measures in the speech addressing sky-high energy bills or the Brexit protocol, a continuing obstacle to power-sharing at Stormont.

In recent weeks we’ve heard plenty about cabinet splits on how best to help families who face the biggest squeeze on their incomes since the post-war period. And yesterday’s events suggest there is still plenty of wrangling going on at the top of government about what to do, with old tensions between No 10 and No 11 Downing Street again coming to the fore. In the debate in Commons following the speech, Johnson appeared to suggest there would be some form of help for families struggling with rising fuel, food and energy costs soon, only to be slapped down later by Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, who ruled out getting his cheque book out.

So is that the end of it? Apparently not. A cabinet committee looking into policies aimed at easing the cost of living crisis met last night and Simon Hart, the Welsh secretary, hinted that ministers could make announcements later in the week. “You will hear more probably on Thursday after the cabinet has met,” he said. “This is now the most important challenge facing not only this nation, but many other nations as well,” he added. “This is the thing which is going to be occupying every waking hour of every politician”.

While Downing Street dithers and delays, people are really beginning to feel the pinch. New research out today by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research think tank says 1.5 million households across the UK will struggle to pay food and energy bills over the next year.

The other big policy area that will dominate the news agenda over the coming weeks – potentially months – but which there were no updates on in the Queen’s Speech is Brexit’s Northern Ireland protocol.

There was a pledge to protect the Belfast or Good Friday agreement, although it was unlikely to quell discontent among unionists, who say the post-Brexit trading arrangements have upset the delicate balance of the 1998 accord, which has brought relative peace to Northern Ireland for more than two decades.

Jefferey Donaldson, the DUP leader who on Monday confirmed that his party would not enter the power-sharing executive without fundamental reform to the protocol, doubled down on his promise following the speech. “I will not leave this House until this protocol issue is resolved,” said Donaldson, confirming that he would not take up his seat in the Northern Ireland Assembly until he gets “decisive action” from Downing Street.

Rhetoric around the protocol from both Johnson and Liz Truss has really begun to harden in recent days and the foreign secretary last night again attempted to up the ante. She told the EU that London is prepared to rip parts of protocol within days, sparking threats from Brussels that the bloc could scrap the entire deal, starting a trade war.

Truss claimed some of the EU’s protocol proposals would “take us backwards”, adding: “the answer cannot be more checks, paperwork and disruption”. Who said Brexit was done? The seemingly never-ending saga on the protocol still has a long way to run. Expect to hear plenty more tough talk (and probably little action) from both sides in the days ahead.

“I also want to congratulate the prime minister. He’s achieved a new first: the first resident of Downing Street to be a constituent of a Labour council. I’m sure they will serve him well.”

Starmer pokes fun at the PM in Commons after Labour took control of Westminster Council at the local elections.

“Having spent a few days in Wakefield the byelection is going to be tough for the Tories. One of their issues is that people feel disillusioned about Brexit. People who voted for it telling us they regret it. One of PM’s biggest selling points starting to seem like a weakness.”

Channel 4 politics correspondent Liz Bates reckons the Tories could have a difficult night at the Wakefield byelection.

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