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Jeremy Corbyn is crowdsourcing questions to ask David Cameron at PMQs

The Labour leader has put a suggestion box on his website

Jon Stone
Sunday 13 September 2015 05:24 EDT
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Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn (Rex)

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Jeremy Corbyn is to crowdsource questions for PMQs from members of the public, he has revealed.

Mr Corbyn emailed Labour members and asked them for suggestions about what he should ask David Cameron at Prime Minister’s Questions this Wednesday.

A page has also been set up on the Labour website so that anyone to contribute ideas or make suggestions of important issues.

“The Labour Party is the joint endeavour of each and every one of us. I want to use your talents to make us stronger, and I want to represent you,” the new Labour leader said.

“So, help me be your representative. When I stand at the despatch box for Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, I want to be your voice.”

It is not clear whether the exercise in open-source democracy will be a permanent arrangement or a one-off experiment.

Despite earlier reports that Mr Corbyn would rotate with other shadow cabinet ministers to ask Mr Cameron questions, deputy leader Tom Watson said such details had not been finalised.

“I don’t know yet, is the honest truth. I think Jeremy’s got to work that out,” he told the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme when asked about the reports.

But Mr Watson elaborated on the changes he would like to see made to Prime Minister’s Questions, which usually takes place at noon on a Wednesday.

“The one thing I hope we can change is that sort of bully-boy scoring points at question time,” he said. “The Speaker has spoken about this a lot. I’m with Jeremy on this – I detest PMQs, I think it’s a very bad showcase for British democracy. I hope we can work with David Cameron to make it more inquisitive and more thoughtful.”

House of Commons Speaker John Bercow has previously criticised MPs for their behaviour during Prime Minister’s Question time, arguing that “the public hate it”.

Mr Corbyn's first PMQs as leader takes place on Wednesday.

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