The Leader of the House of Commons has thanked Rishi Sunak on what would have been the final day he could have called a general election.
Lucy Powell said the former prime minister made a “big misjudgment for the Tory party, but a good decision for the country” by calling the election for July 4 2024, when it had been expected to be around November.
Shadow Commons leader Jesse Norman said the new Labour Government had provided “regular evidence of its remarkable incompetence” in its first six months in office.
During Business Questions on Thursday Ms Powell told MPs it is “a very special day”.
She said: “It could have been a very historic day in fact, because today is the last day that the former prime minister could have called a general election.
“Oh how different things could have been.
“(The Conservatives) would have still been on this side with three times as many members as they’ve got now, (Mr Norman) would still be enjoying himself on the back benches, and the House would not have the delights of the honourable members for Clacton (Reform leader Nigel Farage) and Boston and Skegness (Reform deputy leader Richard Tice) with their presence instead.
“But instead, we are six months into a Labour Government.
“I am sure they do regret calling the general election early, but I am afraid the country doesn’t.”
Ms Powell asked members to think about “what the country would be facing today”, were the Tories still in Government, such as “doctors still on strike”, “public services facing huge cuts”, “the black hole in the public finances still going” and adding, “let’s not even imagine what would be happening with our prisons”.
She said: “The country on its knees. Living standards falling. Britain an embarrassment around the world, and politics in the doldrums.
“But thankfully the former prime minister made a big misjudgment for the Tory party, but a good decision for the country, and he called the election early because he wanted out.
“And we have not been able to put everything right immediately, the problems run too deep, but we have made a lot of progress.”
Earlier in the session, Ms Powell’s Conservative counterpart said Labour “has been generous indeed in offering the people of this country regular evidence of its remarkable incompetence”.
Mr Norman said: “Even by their formidable standards, they have excelled themselves this week.
“The Prime Minister said some time ago in terms that he prefers Davos to Westminster, but this week, he has left the global hobnobbing and apres-ski at the World Economic Forum to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to assist her in her relentless search for growth.
“Her latest idea was to revive the third runway at Heathrow, a project so toxic to her Labour colleagues that it had been briefed against by the Energy Secretary and publicly rejected by the Mayor of London before it was even pre-announced.
“As so often we will have to wait, I’m afraid, for the announcement itself to be made in this House.”
Ms Powell listed business for the week commencing January 27, with a general debate on the creative industries on Monday, remaining stages of the Water (Special Measures) Bill on Tuesday, second reading of the Arbitration Bill followed by motions relating to the Charter for Budget Responsibility and the welfare cap on Wednesday, general debate on proportional representation for general elections followed by a general debate on the future of local post office services on Thursday, while the House will not be sitting on Friday 31.
