At the last PMQs of 2015, Corbyn won out with substance over style

Jeremy Corbyn wished Tim Peake, “currently not on the planet”, a happy Christmas at the beginning of the last PMQs of 2015 today, to which Tory MPs summarily replied, “Neither are you!” Perhaps their confidence is unsurprising: they entered the Chamber bouncing with the news that unemployment is down by 110,000. In reality, however, it is the Prime Minister who needs bringing back down to Earth.

This won’t be a happy Christmas for many in Britain, even if they have found employment. Recent allegations of staff hardships at Sports Direct and a general spotlight on the reality of zero hours contracts are a stark reminder of employment ‘triumph’ in Tory Britain. And it won’t be a happy Christmas for those whose benefits were cut in the past few months, either. Osborne’s economic “successes” will seem fairly meaningless to the cohort of people wondering whether they can switch the heating on this Christmas Day.

Nevertheless, Cameron kept hearkening back to the economy with every human question he faced. A question about the NHS led to the answer that Corbyn should welcome the new unemployment figures. Further probing led to the reply that more jobs will pay for more social care, so we should think about the economy, and why won’t Corbyn welcome the unemployment figures?

Next, a question about the cuts to the nurse bursary scheme heralded the answer that the economy is growing, and wages will go up, and places for nurses on medical courses will be available. The problem is that none of this addresses the reality of living on a low salary or facing huge debts for elderly social care or stints in hospitals. Not every question can be answered with pound signs.

The SNP MP Alison Thewliss sought assurances that there would be no child tax credit cuts for a woman who had a third child because of rape, and Cameron assured her that there wouldn’t, before moving swiftly on to a political point about welfare. There was barely time to pause and think about the idea that women will have to prove they have been raped before they lose money to support their children. Considering our current domestic violence crisis, and the fact that a high percentage of rapes occur between partners, this is no minor detail.

At least under the Chancellor’s brilliant plan, rape victims will be able to have access to relevant services that they have already paid for through the luxury tampon tax.

After a fairly quiet week for the Labour leader, PMQs this week was a restrained but solid victory for Corbyn. Cameron was left to play the rhetorician yet again in his failure to offer sincere-sounding responses, and his perceived lack of humanity. Consistently, throughout his opening series of PMQs, Corbyn has managed to honour his promise to speak on behalf of normal people.

Almost 100 days after becoming leader of the Labour party, Corbyn has appeared consistently competent in debate with the Prime Minister. The new politics has been about moving the political discourse into the living rooms of Britain, rather than out of reach of all but the most seasoned Etonites.

While many commentators may not enjoy Corbyn’s sombre PMQs appearances, and prefer the sparring banter they saw between Osborne and Eagle last week, it’s important to remember this isn’t an entertainment show: it’s real life. Can we really celebrate the idea of spectacle over substance?

In many ways, this week’s session followed the same lines as every other Cameron-Corbyn spar: serious questions with mention of actual humans, versus rhetoric-driven replies that fall back on the state of the economy. As we enter the Christmas period, those who criticised Corbyn’s leadership must consider this.

Faced with the relentless attacks that come from the media and, in many cases, inside his own party, Corbyn is biting back in his signature manner. And transforming PMQs into People’s Questions has been one of his greatest moves.