Speaker urged to stop Keir Starmer avoiding MPs' questions

It is not a new complaint - but it is being made with increasing regularity and ferocity in the House of Commons. Why doesn't the prime minister answer the question? Each week at midday MPs gather on the green benches for prime minister's questions, with at least an expectation of answers about government policy. But things go awry when Sir Keir Starmer reaches for the political strategy known as "the pivot", turning from the subject the questioner wants to focus on, to talk about No 10's chosen issue instead. The tactic is infuriating to opposition parties, and many viewers and listeners at home. BBC Radio 5 Live has obtained letters and emails to Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, about conduct and behaviour during PMQs. Of the 61 items of correspondence sent in January this year, the overwhelming majority were about Sir Keir's failure to answer questions - and Sir Linday's inability to do anything about it. "During MPs question time," writes one voter, "the prime minister gets asked a question but he never answers it. It is always a deflection tactic. Why does Sir Lindsay Hoyle allow this to happen?" Another tells Sir Lindsay: "You are not executing your duties AND responsi

Mar 26, 2026 → Mar 26, 2026