The real villains in Parliament's panto

SURELY no one was taken in by Keir Starmer's theatrics at the weekend? His sudden recall of Parliament on Saturday in order to “save” the Scunthorpe Steel plant is something he could have done earlier in the week when Parliament was sitting.

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No, Starmer's sudden decision to recall MPs, many only informed by their whips after 4pm on Friday, was a desperate bid to erase a disastrous final week of term. Word had got back to him that his troops heading off to campaign for local elections and the Runcorn by-election were furious especially “red wall” MPs who represent seats with a high proportion of white, working-class voters.

Honestly, if Starmer was serious about finding a lasting solution for British Steel, then he would have shown Ed Miliband and his flag-waving Net Zero fanaticism the door months ago.

However, it was Jess Phillips' announcement on Tuesday to water down the grooming gang inquiry a mistake of monumental proportions that caused the most anger.