Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer clash over contact tracing app as Labour leader accuses PM of giving 'dodgy answers'

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Keir Starmer accused Boris Johnson of giving "dodgy answers" at PMQs today, and pressed the Prime Minister on the Government's development of a functioning contact tracing app.

The Labour leader called for clarity on Wednesday over whether a contract tracing app was "critical" in combating coronavirus.

Last week the Government announced it was abandoning the development of its own test-and-trace app for a version based on technology provided by Apple and Google.

The UK will now follow Germany, Italy and Denmark in switching to a "decentralised" model.

Sir Keir said in the House of Commons: “Up until last week, the Government maintained that the app was critical, another of their slides (at the daily briefing).

“But at the weekend (Health Secretary Matt Hancock) downplayed the app, saying it was only ever additional support. So which is it – critical or not?”

Mr Johnson responded by challenging Sir Keir to name a country with a functional contact tracing app as the Prime Minister insisted "there isn’t one".

Sir Keir replied: “Germany – 12 million downloads. I checked that overnight.”

The Labour leader said that other countries are ahead of the UK, asking: “When are we going to have a working app?”

Mr Johnson said Sir Keir was “completely wrong”, adding in the Commons: “No country in the world has a working contact tracing app and I’ve always been clear, we’ve always been clear, that the app would be the icing on the cake.

“If we can get it to work it’ll be a fine thing but there isn’t one anywhere in the world so far.”

When the Prime Minister accused Sir Keir of using "misleading" data, the Labour leader replied that he was using data from the Government's press conference slides.

The PM praised the NHS Test and Trace operation while the Labour Leader continued to criticise his responses, saying the Prime Minister gave “dodgy answers”.

He highlighted how two previous answers from the PM about a decrease in absolute child poverty and relative child poverty were judged “mostly false” by the office of the Children’s Commissioner for England, while another claim about fewer families living in poverty was also deemed “false”.

Sir Keir went on: “He’s been found out. He either dodges the question or he gives dodgy answers.

“No more witnesses, I rest my case. Will the Prime Minister do the decent thing and correct the record in relation to child poverty?”

Mr Johnson replied: “I’m happy to point out to my learned friend that actually there are 100,000 fewer children in absolute poverty and 500,000 falling below the thresholds of low income and material deprivation.”

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