For the senior MPs on the Liaison Committee, it was an opportunity missed. Apart from one explosive clash that left a shifty-looking Rishi Sunak totally skewered.

Coming six months to the day since the prime minister announced his five priorities for the year, the committee should have put him under pressure on the progress so far.

But it was mostly an unsatisfactory 90 minutes, with the MPs’ questions constantly interrupted by a fussy Sir Bernard Jenkin, the chairman, who was rushing them along in a frantic attempt to finish on time.

At the beginning of the session at 2pm, Mr Sunak haughtily told Sir Bernard he had a “pressing engagement” at 3.30pm, so they must not go over time. To which Sir Bernard should have replied: “Tough!”

The biggest disappointment was his curtailing of the forensic Dame Diana Johnson, who was beginning to get under the PM’s skin with some tough questions on one of his five priorities, stop the boats.

Dame Diana, who chairs the Home Affairs Select Committee, accused him of betting everything on his Rwanda policy being upheld in the Supreme Court. Not fair, he said. The stop the boats pledge was on hold, she claimed. No, he said.

The other important clash on one of Mr Sunak’s five priorities came during some tenacious interrogation on the cost of living crisis by Labour’s Catherine McKinnell, first on soaring food prices and then on spiralling mortgage costs.

Rishi Sunak’s ‘stop the boats’ strategy under attack on two fronts

Australian PM Anthony Albanese hits back after Rishi Sunak criticised controversial Ashes wicket

June shows record for Channel crossings as Tory MPs put pressure on Rishi Sunak

One of the many questions the prime minister dodged during the 90-minute hearing was when Ms McKinnell, one of the stars of these Liaison Committee hearings, asked him what percentage he would put on achieving his target of halving inflation.

Lamely, he replied: “I’m working 100% to deliver it.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

It was all very bland, full of jargon such as “downstream cost”, whatever that is, and the PM gave the impression he wished he was somewhere else and couldn’t be bothered.

But then he got a shock. The committee exploded into life in a blistering exchange with Sir Chris Bryant, who chairs the Standards Committee and lambasted Mr Sunak for dodging privileges votes, Commons statements and PMQs.

On the Privileges Committee report on seven Tory MPs denouncing the Boris Johnson partygate inquiry as a “whitewash” and “kangaroo court”, Mr Sunak said: “I haven’t read every pages of the report.”

Read more:

Sunak’s ‘stop the boats’ strategy under attack on two fronts

The ghost of Johnson is still haunting Sunak – Beth Rigby analysis

Minister quits and accuses Sunak of ‘apathy’ on the environment

“It’s three pages long!” Sir Chris shot back. It’s also worth pointing out that Mr Sunak quoted the report he said he hadn’t read in his letter to Zac Goldsmith after he resigned last Friday.

At one point during his highly entertaining skewering Mr Sunak, Sir Chris threw his head back and shouted: “Oh come off it, prime minister.” Many people listening to the whole session will have endorsed that sentiment.

If these sessions are to work and be productive, they need to be longer than 90 minutes, as they used to be. The committee has already cut the number of MPs asking questions, which has helped.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

The whole idea of the hearings is for detailed cross-examination of a PM on his or her policies away from the bearpit atmosphere of Prime Minister’s Questions. Here, to be fair, some members of the committee attempted forensic probing on policy details.

But they were thwarted by a prime minister who clearly had no intention of explaining his approach to the cost of living crisis or migrant crossings in any detail. He’ll no doubt conclude “job done”. But no doubt the MPs will feel they weren’t able to do their job very effectively this time.

Related posts:

Sir Keir Starmer tears up as he opens up to Piers Morgan about mother’s death Biden has ‘a lot of fish to fry’: PM plays down prospect of US-UK trade deal breakthrough PM says energy crisis is a ‘short-term problem’ and dismisses risk of Christmas disruption ‘Anti-democratic’: Labour Party facing ‘civil war’ over Starmer’s leadership vote shake-up A couple of wins for Johnson, but no trade deal with the US is a major setback The PM knows he’s in the ‘kill zone’ – he’s fighting back hard, but it may be too late ‘I’m getting on with the job’: Johnson comes back fighting in first PMQs after surviving confidence vote Energy bosses to hold crisis talks with ministers over soaring bills China delegation barred from Queen’s lying in state at Westminster Fixed discount on energy bills for businesses being considered by Treasury Rising public support for unions despite widespread strikes, Sky News poll suggests Thousands of ambulance workers in England to strike on 10 February over ongoing pay dispute