Boris Johnson using Jedi mind trick on country over economy, says Starmer
Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of trying to fool the public with “nonsense” about a booming economy, as an often bad-tempered prime minister’s questions saw the pair square up over stagnant growth and tax rises.
In an extended Star Wars-referencing section, Starmer said Johnson was trying to “perform Jedi mind tricks on the country” by insisting the economy was buoyant, also mocking the PM by saying his backbenchers compared him to Jeremy Corbyn.
In response, Johnson repeatedly sought to change the subject, accusing the Labour leader of supporting planned rail strikes next week, and in a reference to opposition doubts over the Rwanda deportation policy, saying they were “on the side of the people-traffickers”.
Starmer focused all his questions on the economy, saying Johnson appeared “totally deluded” in insisting it was in good shape, given predictions the UK would face slower growth next year than any other major developed nation.
“Week after week he stands there and spouts the same nonsense – the economy is booming, everything is going swimmingly, the people should be grateful,” Starmer said. “But while he’s telling people that we’ve never had it so good, millions of working people and businesses know the reality.”
Starmer mocked Johnson in comparing him to a Star Wars villain: “As for his boasting about the economy, he thinks he can perform Jedi mind tricks on the country. ‘These aren’t the droids you’re looking for. No rules were broken. The economy is booming.’ The problem is, the force just isn’t with him any more. He thinks he’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. The truth is he’s Jabba the Hutt.”
In a section notable in showing how far Starmer has sought to move Labour away from the period under his predecessor, he used a section
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