PMQs verdict: Rishi Sunak continues with culture war against trans people in front of Brianna Ghey's mother

Rishi Sunak continued with his culture war against trans people in front of Brianna Ghey's mother at PMQs today.

Brianna, a transgender teenager, was brutally murdered by two fellow teens, Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe, who were sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday. Her mother, Esther, was in the House of Commons for PMQs, yet Sunak continued to attack Keir Starmer for his views on trans people - saying he has an issue "defining a woman". He joked: "Although in fairness that was only 99% of a U-turn."

Starmer responded by saying: "Of all the weeks to say that, when Brianna’s mother is in this chamber. Shame. Parading as a man of integrity when he’s got absolutely no responsibility.”

He added: “I think the role of the Prime Minister is to ensure that every single citizen in this country feels safe and respected, it’s a shame that the Prime Minister doesn’t share that.”

Starmer also questioned Sunak over the £1,000 bet he made in a TV interview earlier in the week. The PM came under fire from opposition parties for agreeing to a wager with Piers Morgan over whether asylum seeker flights would take off to Rwanda before the next election. Afterwards the Prime Minister appeared to show regret, saying: "I’m not a betting person and I was taken totally by surprise in the middle of that interview."

He added: "The point I was trying to get across was actually about the Rwanda policy and about tackling illegal migration because it’s something I care deeply about." Starmer asked: “A year ago, the Prime Minister promised to bring NHS waiting lists down. Isn’t he glad he didn’t bet a grand on it?” To this, Sunak responded: "At least I stand by my commitments. He is so indecisive, the only bet he would make is an each-way bet.”

The PM hit back with attacks over Labour's green prosperity plan, which Starmer has confused even more this week. It was initially marketed as £28 billion-a-year, then became that figure over the course of the Parliament and now might be scrapped altogether.

PMQs verdict

After weeks of ramping up the culture wars, it appears as if this will finally come to undo Sunak. There was an important guest in the House of Commons today, Brianna Ghey's mother Esther - and I would be interested to get her thoughts on what she's seen.

I doubt she would have been happy with Sunak's crass joke about transgender people, one of the most marginalised groups in our society. Just last week, the PM's spokesman was praising Esther for her empathy. Now Sunak is making jokes at their expense. It really made him look cruel and out touch, just days after hearing the most horrific details about Brianna's murder.

Starmer picked up on this, saying to the Prime Minister: "Shame." There was also a clear difference when discussing Sunak's bet. The PM made a joke out of it, hitting back at the Labour leader over his indecisiveness. I'm not sure viewers would have found that funny - I personally am not keen on the Prime Minister making £1,000 bets on a whim.

To me, there appears to be a clear difference between the two leaders. Starmer is focused on trying to appear Prime Ministerial and serious, while Sunak is happy to crack jokes. I think I know which type of politician the voters would want as PM at the moment.

How to watch PMQs today

You can watch PMQs on this page on the NationalWorld video player. The live stream will start around 11.45am.

Ralph Blackburn is NationalWorld’s politics editor based in Westminster, where he gets special access to Parliament, MPs and government briefings. If you liked this article you can follow Ralph on X (Twitter) here and sign up to his free weekly newsletter Politics Uncovered, which brings you the latest analysis and gossip from Westminster every Sunday morning.