Keir Starmer: Boris Johnson is treating Scotland with utter disdain

During a heated exchange at PMQs on Wednesday, the Labour leader brought up the impact of an internal Tory civil war - sparked by Douglas Ross calling for the PM to quit after it emerged he had broken lockdown rules.

In the aftermath, Leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg dubbed the Scottish Tory leader a “lightweight” figure and claimed Scotland Secretary Alister Jack, who did not call for the PM to resign, had more influence.

READ MORE: Ousting Boris Johnson will trigger General Election, Jacob Rees-Mogg says

And in the House of Commons, whilst MPs await the release of Sue Gray’s report into the party allegations in Downing Street, Starmer said that the approach is “undermining the Union”.

Starmer told MPs: “The police say the evidence meets the test, frankly the public have made up their minds, they know he’s not fit for the job, and that's what really matters here.

“Throughout this scandal, the Tories have done immense damage to public trust.

“When the leader of the Scottish Conservatives said the Prime Minister should resign, the Leader of the House called him a lightweight.

Starmer brought up the impact of the row between Ross and Rees-Mogg

“English conservatives publicly undermining the Union by treating Scotland with utter disdain.

“How much damage are the Prime Minister's cabinet prepared to do to save his skin?”

In his response, the Prime Minister didn’t mention Scotland or the Union.

He said: “Well, Mr Speaker, I think that he was offering yet more general criticism of what's been going on in Downing Street.

READ MORE: Boris Johnson slammed by Ian Blackford in scathing Donald Trump comparison

“Let me just remind the House what's been going on in Downing Street. We've been prioritising the Covid backlogs. investing massively in 9 million more scans so that people get the treatment that they need and that they've been waiting for, and making sure that they have 44,000 more people in already.”

Responding to Starmer from across the despatch box, the PM added: “He says it's rubbish, they didn't vote for it, Mr Speaker.

“This is bigger than 44,000 more people in our NHS now than there were in 2020. And we're fixing social care, which governments have neglected for decades and labelling.

“They have no plan at all, to fix the NHS or to fix social care. Vote Labour wait longer.”

It comes as Starmer called on Johnson to resign, suggesting he misled parliament.

Starmer told MPs: “I think the Prime Minister said yes, he agrees the code does apply to him. Therefore, if he misled Parliament he must resign.

“On December 1, the Prime Minister told this House in relation to parties during lockdown: ‘All guidance was followed completely in Number 10’, from that despatch box.

READ MORE: Andrew Rosindell says people should move on from Boris Johnson's partygate scandal

“On December 8 the Prime Minister told this House: ‘I have been repeatedly assured since these allegations emerged there was no party’. So since he acknowledges the ministerial code applies to him, will he now resign?”

Johnson replied: “No, Mr Speaker. Since he asked about Covid restrictions, let me just remind the House, and indeed remind the country, that he has been relentlessly opportunistic throughout.”

He then accused the Labour leader of “flip-flopping” over Covid restrictions and dubbed Starmer “Captain Hindsight”.

Starmer then set out the “significance” of the Met police investigation which means civil servant Sue Gray found “potential criminality” in Downing Street.

Johnson said he could not comment on the investigation before suggesting Starmer was “in ignorance” of the crisis on the borders of Ukraine, telling MPs the Government is “bringing the West together” in a bid to deter Russia from a “reckless and catastrophic invasion”.

The PM added: “We’re getting on with the job and I think he needs to raise his game, frankly.”

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon announces changes to work from home rules in Scotland

Starmer replied: “This was the Prime Minister who went into hiding for five days because of these allegations.”

He added: “The Prime Minister’s continual defence is ‘wait for the Sue Gray report’. On December 8 he told this House ‘I will place a copy of the report in the library of the House of Commons’.

“His spokesperson has repeatedly stated that means the full report, not parts of the report, not a summary of the report, not an edited copy. So, can the Prime Minister confirm that he will publish the full Sue Gray report as he receives it?”

Johnson replied: “We’ve got to leave the report to the independent investigator, as he knows, of course when I receive it, of course, I will do exactly what I said.”