PMQs sketch: Someone needs to take Rishi Sunak aside and tell him what year it is

Something is going on with Rishi Sunak and he needs help from those around him.

The Prime Minister seems lost in time, unsure what year it is, and who exactly he’s speaking with.

Watching Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Mr Sunak attacked the Labour party for Brexit, which it now supports, immigration, which it isn’t responsible for, and Jeremy Corbyn, who isn’t a Labour MP.

It was as if the Prime Minister had woken up from a coma and forgot who was in Government, and who exactly he was dealing with.

Rishi Sunak speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons. Picture: PA

Tory MPs cheered each remark, desperate to ease their new leader in, lest the reality of the situation consumes him.

Sir Keir could retort Mr Corbyn had been kicked out the party, the left purged, and the machinations of the party seized back from them, but perhaps he didn’t want to startle Mr Sunak.

Going after Labour for Corbyn and Brexit used to be the reserve of Boris Johnson, who it worked so well for he now speaks at blockchain conferences.

Using both for the second week running, it was like Mr Sunak didn’t really know anything about the Labour party, but wanted to repeat the cool thing his more popular friend said.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak struggled to defend his record at PMQs.

Mr Sunak vowed to keep reminding people of it “every week”, which you suspect is more for his benefit than anyone else.

The idea Labour are unfit to govern and have a Marxist in charge is easier to process than a decorated knight of the realm who has ended the death penalty in countries for free.

Things only got worse when Sir Keir went after the reappointment of home secretary Suella Braverman and the UK’s “broken” asylum system.

Perhaps forgetting his party had been in power for 12 years, the Prime Minister responded by talking about Brexit, something that was supposed to take back control, and questioned Labour’s lack of policy.

It was a weak answer from a leader in a year that has seen 40,000 migrants cross the English Channel, disease rife in a processing centre and another facility fire bombed.

The Conservatives need policy or answers to these questions, and instead Mr Sunak appeared to produce old memories of a party that used to have a much brighter future.