Jeremy Corbyn said Boris Johnson was giving a “fantasy tour” of the UK and his time in office, accusing him of leaving a legacy of “poverty, inequality and insecurity”.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Johnson had been running through a list of what his Government had achieved, saying: “In spite of that pandemic… we did not for a moment lose our focus on those huge manifesto commitments that we made.”
He outlined investment in policing, saying “we have rounded up those county lines drugs gangs”, and said his Government invested “massively” in schools and education, adding: “We have been the first government to have the nerve and the plan to fix the gulf between the NHS and social care.”
Making an intervention, former Labour leader Mr Corbyn said: “I’m grateful to the Prime Minister for taking a break from his fantasy tour of this country.”
Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson
GB News
He asked why “14 million people in this country are living in poverty, why there are more food banks than there are branches of McDonalds”, and other criticisms including “presiding over the enriching of the richest, the impoverishment of the poorest”.
He added: “He has created poverty, inequality and insecurity. That is his legacy.”
Responding to Mr Corbyn, Mr Johnson said his Government was “undefeated at the polls”.
The Prime Minister said: “Since our last encounters I can tell him I am proud that we have actually got unemployment down… to record lows. I know that he would rather have people on benefits, but I don’t think that’s the way forward.
“He talks about 14 million people. Let me tell him, 14 million people voted for this Conservative Government and this Conservative Government is undefeated at the polls. And never let that be forgotten."
The pair’s comments come as Mr Johnson is set to face a confidence vote on Monday amid renewed opposition calls for the PM to step down immediately.
If the Government is defeated it would almost certainly trigger a general election.
That eventuality is unlikely, as a significant number of Tory MPs would need to vote against the Prime Minister – or at least abstain.
Boris Johnson faces a confidence vote on Monday
Dominic Lipinski