Sir Keir Starmer today attacked Boris Johnson for running the “Government in hindsight” over his handling of the coronavirus crisis.
The Prime Minister has previously used the nickname “Captain Hindsight” to criticise the Labour leader during their exchanges at PMQs.
However, Sir Keir threw the accusation back at Mr Johnson today, spurring nods of "hear, hear" from his colleagues in the Chamber as he played on the theme of a car crash.
The Labour leader came prepared with a number of put-downs, saying the PM's handling of restrictions was "getting ridiculous".
At one point Sir Keir told Mr Johnson: "Prime Minister if you actually listened to the question, we might get on better.”
Attacking the Prime Minister's recent management of the pandemic, Sir Keir told the Commons: "If this was an isolated example, I think the British people might understand, but there's a pattern here.
"On care homes, protective equipment, exams, testing. The Prime Minister ignores the warning signs, hurtles towards a car crash, then looks in the rear mirror, says 'what's all that about?'
"It's quite literally Government in hindsight."
He added: "All the Prime Minister has to say is it is too early to say if restrictions are working but it's obvious that something's gone wrong here, so what's the Prime Minister going to do about it?"
Mr Johnson hit back by questioning whether the Labour leader supported the Government's rule of six restrictive measures after the party abstained in a Commons vote.
The PM said: “He cannot even be bothered to mobilise his own benches to support something as fundamental as the rule of six, which he himself said only three weeks ago that he supported.
"He cannot continue to have it both ways. Does he support the rule of six? Yes or no?"
Later on in the exchange, Sir Keir pushed the PM to publish the scientific data for the 10pm curfew for pubs, bars and restaurants or to review it if he is unable to do so.
He said: "The Prime Minister can't explain why an area goes into restriction, he can't explain what the different restrictions are, he can't explain how restrictions end - this is getting ridiculous.”
Mr Johnson replied: "The basis on which we set out the curtailment of hospitality was the basis on which he accepted it two weeks ago - that is to reduce the spread of the virus and that is our objective."
On Labour’s abstention, he added: "What kind of a signal does this send to the people of the country about the robustness of the Labour Party and their willingness to enforce the restrictions?
"That is not new leadership – that is no leadership."
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