At PMQs, Jeremy Corbyn tried to make Theresa May face reality

The Conservative Party are more than happy to take credit for things – but cannot fathom the concept of taking responsibility when they go wrong

The first PMQs since the general election saw Jeremy Corbyn raise questions about austerity (PA)

For those who religiously watch PMQs, the beginning of this week’s showdown was more dignified than usual.

Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May ignored the usual party jibes, and tried to get down to the important issue of what progress has been made by authorities over the Grenfell Tower disaster. Corbyn asked well researched questions, and Theresa May (for the most part) managed to answer them in detail. Corbyn pointed out that Theresa May was supposed to re-house people within three weeks – a time frame that now looks unlikely – and how she has failed to appoint a judge to the inquiry.

However, it all went a bit doolally when Corbyn had the audacity to consider the fact that austerity may have played a part in Grenfell Tower. Making the point that a 40 per cent cut in local authority expenditure may have led to fewer building inspectors and more lax safety, he was met with jeers of “shame on you” from the opposite bench, with the Speaker having to intervene.

Declaring that “when you cut budgets you pay a price”, the jeers aimed at the Labour leader continued.

These Tory jeerers don’t seem to comprehend that people – currently numbering in the high tens, potentially reaching into triple figures – have died trying to escape from their own homes. How they cannot fathom that this decision to choose material £2 cheaper per square metre than the fire-resistant type may be linked to local council budget cuts I cannot understand.

They are not assuaging claims of being the “nasty party” when their MPs won’t even consider the idea that austerity may have led to poor decisions being made and costs being cut to the detriment of safety. They cannot ensure that such a thing never happens again if they refuse to acknowledge the possible reasons why it happened.

Theresa May blamed the cladding on Tony Blair, saying that it was under his government its usage began – but completely ignored the fact that the Tories have been in partial power since 2010 and full power since 2015. The Conservative Party are more than happy to take credit for things – but cannot fathom the concept of taking responsibility for things when they go wrong. Such denial is corrosive, and is most definitely not good for PR after a week or so of absolute shambles.

Leo Docherty, the new Tory MP for Aldershot, decided to say that “only [Theresa May’s] government can offer the safety and security our great country needs” after criticising Corbyn’s alleged comments about scrapping Trident. Anyone without their head in the sand would see this sort of comment as a bit counterproductive considering so many in the UK have been living in unsafe homes and we have faced numerous security threats – with a former security chief saying police cuts have made us more vulnerable.

People are more concerned about Grenfell and terror attacks than Trident at this given moment, considering Corbyn isn’t even in power to attempt to scrap it. The Conservatives have lost touch with reality.

Corbyn has clearly improved his approach to PMQs – he knows that people do not want evasiveness or political soundbites after weeks of death – but it’s clear that the Conservatives have much further to go if they wish to keep up the guise of being a legitimate government.