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Louise Haigh struggles to match Alex Burghart’s pace at PMQs
Louise Haigh made her first appearance deputising for Andy Burnham at Prime Minister’s Questions, where she faced Conservative questions from Alex Burghart. The article portrays her performance as subdued and difficult to hear, arguing that she struggled to match the pace and confidence expected in the Commons.
Burghart pressed Haigh on spending on working-age welfare and the Government’s plans to reduce the benefits bill. Haigh said the Government was committed to bringing it down “in a Labour way”, prompting laughter; Speaker Lindsay Hoyle also reprimanded a Conservative backbencher for heckling her. The article notes that Kemi Badenoch has assigned Burghart the opposition role at PMQs full-time, and that former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner watched from the front bench.
In short
- Louise Haigh deputised for Andy Burnham at PMQs.
- Alex Burghart challenged her on welfare spending.
- Haigh’s promise to cut benefits “in a Labour way” drew laughter.
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The case for
A forceful, quick-paced performance at PMQs can help an opposition scrutinise government policy and make contested spending plans clear to the public. On welfare, Burghart’s pressure may be seen as a legitimate attempt to test how the Government intends to reduce costs, while Haigh’s subdued delivery left her answer open to challenge.
The case against
PMQs rewards theatrical exchanges, but volume and speed are not reliable measures of the quality of scrutiny or policy understanding. Haigh was deputising in a demanding setting, and the heckling noted in the report may have made it harder to respond; her commitment to reduce the bill “in a Labour way” can be read as signalling a distinct approach rather than evading the issue.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “QUENTIN LETTS: The Deputy PM – the one with the fraud conviction – started jabbering under fire. Maybe her Tory rival reminded her of a courtroom barrister”.