James O'Brien's instant response to Raab v Starmer at PMQs

By Adrian Sherling

This is James O'Brien's immediate response to the first ever virtual Prime Minister's Questions in which Dominic Raab answered questions via video from MPs around the country.

PMQs went fairly smoothly with MPs asking their questions from home for the first time under the stewardship of Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, with the First Secretary of State filling in while Boris Johnson recovers from coronavirus.

James watched the whole thing and afterwards told his LBC show: "It's becoming so dispiriting to see these predictions play out completely unchallenged in real-time.

"Ask about PPE shortages, get told about PPE that we've got. That's not an answer to the question.

"Ask about testing that happened. Get told about testing that has not. A ludicrous attempt to correct Keir Starmer by Dominic Raab there.

James O'Brien responded to the unusual PMQs session. Picture: PA / LBC

"We have heard from people who run companies who categorically stated that they haven't heard back from the government. But if I was operating Dominic Raab's spin machine, then I would say they haven't heard back... yet!

"You can't say that's not true until you never get a response at all.

"Having said all that, it was rather nice hearing Dominic Raab describing the NHS in such glowing terms. It must have been a different Dominic Raab in 2011 who co-authored a book that described the NHS as a monolith that should be broken up."

Hear his full reaction to PMQs at the top of the page.

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