On Wednesday, Tom Tugendhat warned his leadership rivals not to do the same this year, saying the contest “must absolutely go to the end or democracy in the party will be undermined”. A Labor spokesman said: “I’m sure the Prime Minister will want to take this opportunity to say a proper farewell to Parliament next week.” Mr Johnson defended his government’s record on Brexit, the rise in unemployment, the Covid pandemic and its support for Ukraine. He was forced to defend the tax promises of several of his leadership rivals, which Sir Keir claimed were not priced in. “I’ve been listening very carefully and all the commitments I’m hearing are very good,” Mr. Johnson said, despite several candidates calling for his National Insurance promotion to be scrapped. He told Sir Keir he believed “any one” of the eight MPs trying to succeed him as prime minister would “wipe the floor with the Captain Crasheroony Snoozefest”.
