Prime Ministers Questions: Stalin, Communism and a looming winter crisis

Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Wednesday October 14, 2015. See PA story POLITICS PMQs Corbyn. Photo credit should read: PA Wire

Prime Minister David Cameron this lunchtime was plucking ideologies out the air like he was sat in an A-level politics exam and chucking them full pelt and with jovial venom to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

“Look at his appointments!” he instructed Conservative MPs, who were today heckling, ooooing and giggling at Labour like they were under strict instructions to be as naughty as possible.

David Cameron bellowed: “His media advisor is a Stalinist, his new policy advisor is a Trotskyist, and his economic advisor is a Communist! If he’s trying to move the Labour Party to th left I’d give him full marks.”

Calmly Jeremy Corbyn ignored the remarks and pursued questions to the Prime Minister on the NHS, ‘in case he had forgotten’ what they were supposed to be talking about.

Last week we were transported to Russia once again by David Cameron, who seems rather obsessed with his historical references with which to compare Jeremy Corbyn’s left-wing team.

Last week he said in a discussion about tractor manufacturing (yes, really) that Mr Corbyn’s new spokesperson is ‘apparently, a great admirer of the Soviet Union’ and therefore would love to hear about tractors, deftly stereotyping an entire political movement.

The chill at the despatch box turned distinctly Siberian however when the Prime Minister was challenged on the looming winter crisis facing the NHS.

Armed with comments from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Mr Corbyn said last winter was the worse the NHS ever had.

He said: “Can he guarantee there will be no winter crisis in the NHS next year?”

The Prime Minister didn’t quite answer that one directly but he did real off a bunch of statistics of how he’s nearly abolished mixed-sex wards and doctor numbers are up by 10,500. Today however that’s potentially 10,500 very grumpy doctors with contract changes still being ironed out with the British Medical Association. The winter NHS crisis is a huge concern, and the Prime Minister used it to engage in political point scoring. It’s possible Mr Cameron has referred to Stalin and left wing ideologies more times in the House of Commons now more than Jeremy Corbyn ever has.