Boris Johnson extended thanks to Jeremy Corbyn on his last Prime Minister’s Questions.
Speaking from the despatch box the Conservative leader paid tribute to his counterpart, saying:
“We may not agree on everything, but no one can doubt his sincerity and determination to build a better society”.
But the warm gesture was batted back by Corbyn, who appeared to be in no mood for niceties.
He responded: “I thank the Prime Minister for his very kind remarks.
“I believe in a decent, socially just society and he was talking as though this was an obituary.
“Just to let him know, my voice will not be stilled, I will be around, I’ll be campaigning, I’ll be arguing and I’ll be demanding justice for the people of this country and indeed the rest of the world.”
Parliament is expected to close this evening for an early Easter recess after emergency legislation to tackle the coronavirus crisis has been approved.
Commons Leader Jacob Rees-Mogg has tabled a motion for the House of Commons to rise until April 21, in a move backed by Labour as Covid-19 swept through Westminster.
The move will see MPs break from their duties in Westminster almost a week early, with the initial recess date for Easter having been set for Tuesday March 31.
MPs have been following party guidance on attending debates in a bid to limit those in the chamber at any one time, but several have tested positive for the virus and many more have entered self-isolation.
Prime Minister’s Questions was scheduled to last for an hour on Wednesday, giving MPs twice the time typically allotted under new Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to scrutinise Boris Johnson over his coronavirus plans.
Jeremy Corbyn will be granted more questions than the usual six in his final PMQs before he stands down.
Related: Sunak’s stimulus is a debt-con that will profit big banks
