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Hello, I'm Susan Hume and this is the Yesterday in Parliament podcast. On Thursday,

the 14th of May, Westminster was agog at Kier-Starmer's leadership crisis, but there was

still space to hear about the recent experience of British Jews. Labour's political warhorse, Pat McFadden,

is often sent out by the government on difficult days to steady nerves. His granite demeanour rarely

chips. But with the Labour leadership crisis almost at bursting point, the work and pension

secretary opened the King's speech debate in the Commons with

just the ghost of a wry smile. It's a pleasure to open today's King's speech debate on behalf of the

government. And as His Majesty said yesterday, we are living in an increasingly dangerous and volatile

world.

There were wintry chuckles from ministers sitting next to him, and just half an hour after he finished speaking, Pat McFadden stood up and left. Most unusual, ministers normally

stay to hear more of the debate than that, but it seems there'd been a development.

They say that a week is a long time in politics, yet during this short debate we have seen

the health secretary leave the government. The Conservative Peter Bedford, with the news that

West Streeting had indeed resigned as health secretary in a letter with a wounding denunciation

of Keir Stommer' prowess as Prime Minister.

Earlier, the Shadow Commons leader Jesse Norman reckoned there weren't many Labour loyalists left.

In fact, maybe only the man across the dispatch box from him, Sir Alan Campbell.

Few, if any, Labour MPs believe that the Prime Minister will lead them into the next election.

Mr Speaker, you'll be aware, I'm sure, of that famous line, the boy stood on the burning deck,

whence all but he had fled.

It may be that the leader of the House is the last person to occupy that position.

...