Keir Starmer has launched a furious tirade against Rishi Sunak during PMQs over a row with the Greek prime minister over the return of the Elgin Marbles, telling the UK leader that he should be discussing migration instead.
The Labour leader accused the PM of “hiding from his failures” after Sunak cancelled a meeting with his Greek counterpart just hours before it was due to take place.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis refused the alternative meeting with Deputy PM Oliver Dowden, telling reporters that he was “deeply disappointed by the abrupt cancellation”.
In a fiery clash during PMQs, Sunak appeared to sidestep the question when asked about the Greek artefacts.
“In an effort to hide from his failures, the Prime Minister spent this week barking about an ancient relic that only a tiny minority of the British public have any interest in.
“In 2019 they all promised the country they would control immigration, numbers will come down, the British people will be in control. How’s it going?”
Sunak dodged the remarks about the Elgin Marbles, instead fighting Starmer head-on over migration.
He said: “Mr Speaker let me be crystal clear, the levels of migration are far too high.
“I am determined to bring them back down to sustainable levels. That’s why we’ve asked the migration advisory council to review certain elements of the system.
“Earlier this year we announced the toughest action ever taken to reduce legal migration.
“The effects of that action are yet to be felt but will impact 150,000 student dependents and forecasts show that migration is likely to drop as a result.
“All we’ve heard up until this moment from the honourable gentleman on this topic is a secret backroom deal with the EU that would see an additional 100,000 migrants here every year.
Starmer hit back: “Mr Speaker, never mind the British Museum, it’s the Prime Minister has clearly lost his marbles.”
Sunak also used PMQs to tear into Sir Keir Starmer for “backing Brussels over Britain”.
He said the Labour leader “showed his true colours”, after he picked Ode to Joy, the EU’s anthem, as the classical song that “sums up the Labour Party”.
Sunak accused Starmer of opposing measures to control migration “every single time”, adding: “No-one will be surprised that he’s backing an EU country over Britain”.
The PM continued: “Last week he was asked what song best sums up the Labour Party.
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“He showed his true colours and chose Ode to Joy, literally the EU’s literal anthem.”
Starmer responded: “Let me get this straight. The Prime Minister is now saying that meeting the prime minister of Greece is somehow supporting the EU instead of discussing serious issues.
“He’s just got dug further into that hole that he has made for himself. Rather than deal with the facts, he’s prosecuting his one-man war on reality.”
In an interview with Classic FM last week, Starmer said the song has “a sense of destiny”, adding that it has a “sense of moving forward to a better place”.
Asked what piece of classical music “sums up the Labour Party”, Starmer responded: “One of the pieces I’ve got is Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, the choral Ode to Joy…
“It has got a sense of destiny and is hugely optimistic…
“It’s that sense of moving forward to a better place, is incredibly powerful.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY MILLIE COOKE
