Keir Starmer has refused to make a key pledge about unemployment during PMQs, after new stats showed joblessness is rising on his watch.
Kemi Badenoch skewered the Prime Minister on jobs, asking whether he could guarantee that unemployment will fall by this time next year.
Sir Keir completely dodged the question, instead going on an unrelated rant about his recent trade deals with India and the US.
The Tory leader said: “Let’s talk about how things are getting worse now. In every month of this year, household names like Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda and Santander have cut staff.”
“The ONS estimates there are 100,000 fewer jobs than a year ago, and this was before his Jobs Tax which will make things worse.
“Can the Prime Minister promise the House that by this time next year, unemployment will be lower than it is today?”
Sir Keir hit back at a previous quip of Ms Badenoch’s that he had agreed a “tiny tariff deal” with Donald Trump that leaves Britain’s trading terms in a worse place than they were in March.
A furious PM slammed: “Can I suggest that she gets the train to Solihull, two hours, goes to speak to the workforce at Jaguar Land Rover, their families, their communities, to tell them she would rip up the deal that protects their jobs?”
Ms Badenoch observed: “I didn’t hear a promise to get unemployment down, and that’s because he knows things are going to get worse.”
“This goes wider than businesses. Last week I met staff and patients at Farley Hospice, they do fantastic work. But they need to find an additional £250,000 to pay the jobs tax.”
She asked the PM how he suggests the hospice pays for his tax.
Sir Keir replied: “We have provided £100m boosting for the sector, but Mr Speaker she turns up every week to carp from the sidelines.
“She moans about what we had to do in the Budget to stabilise the economy, but she hasn’t got the courage to stand there and say she would reverse the National Insurance decision that we’ve taken.
“And I know why – it’s because she doesn’t want to say she’s against the £26 billion investment in our NHS, and she doesn’t want to say she’s against the £1.2bn more for our police…
He concluded by accusing the Tories of “sliding into oblivion. They’re a dead party walking.”