Starmer was seen having a furious exchange with Lindsay Hoyle just after PMQs ended. Minutes earlier the Speaker had chided the PM for not answering questions properly…
The PM angrily tapped Hoyle’s arm rest while talking. An MP witness tells Guido: “Lindsay stood his ground and was trying to say something back but the PM just walked off.” Thin skinned…
Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”