Labour leader criticizes Prime Minister for evading apology over lobbying scandal.

In a heated Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) session, Labour leader Keir Starmer accused Boris Johnson of being “a coward, not a leader” for his refusal to apologize over the controversy surrounding former Conservative MP Owen Paterson’s lobbying case. The exchange became particularly testy as Starmer pressed Johnson to address his role in attempting to alter Commons rules to avoid Paterson’s punishment.

The debate became so heated that Speaker Lindsay Hoyle intervened multiple times to prevent Johnson from deflecting questions by focusing on Starmer’s past work as a lawyer. Hoyle remarked after the exchange that the confrontation had not been beneficial for the House of Commons, and stressed the need for the institution to maintain respect in the eyes of the public.

Following the session, Tory MP Michael Fabricant raised a point of order regarding Starmer’s remarks, prompting Hoyle to rule that calling Johnson a coward was inappropriate. Starmer complied with the request to withdraw his comment, but added, “but he’s not a leader.”