A furious MP erupted at Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs over the Birmingham bin strikes. Independent MP Ayoub Khan said the issue was the “most immediate and visible failure” by Labour.
He was about to call on the PM to bring in the army when Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle intervened due to the length of his question. It comes after Labour-run Birmingham City Council this week declared a major incident over the impact of the ongoing bin strike.
The Birmingham Perry Barr MP told the Commons: “This Labour Government has failed the British public at every turn.
“They have abandoned the Waspi women, leaving them without compensation they deserve.
“They have turned their backs on pensioners by failing to support the winter fuel allowance.
“They have let down children by keeping the two-child benefit cap in place, and they will inflict further hardship on the most vulnerable by slashing £5 billion from benefits.
“But perhaps the most immediate and visible failure, one that poses an immediate and direct health risk to the people of Birmingham, is the appalling financial mismanagement of Labour-run Birmingham City Council.
“After more than a decade of Labour control, their incompetence has led to mountains of uncollected rubbish piling up on every street so vast that it can be seen from satellites orbiting space.
“It is nothing short of a disgrace and a damning indictment of Labour’s inability to govern.
“Will the Prime Minister take urgent action to protect the public health and the people of Birmingham…”
At this point, Sir Lindsay intervened due to the length of Mr Khan’s question.
The Prime Minister replied: “I’ve said the situation in Birmingham Council is completely unacceptable but he might want to tell his constituents that we’ve delivered two million extra appointments for the NHS, so waiting lists are coming down for his constituents.
“We’ve delivered the national living wage, a £1,400 increase, including for his constituents.
“We’ve got record investment into this country, growing the economy, including for his constituents.”
Members of the Unite union in Birmingham are holding an all-out strike in a long-running dispute, after the scrapping of waste collection and recycling officer roles, which has led to rubbish piling up in the streets and residents complaining about rats.