“I’m embarrassed every week that somebody comes here from their opposition who doesn’t apologise for the mess they left this country in.”
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner took apart Tory Mel Stride today at PMQs, after yet another Tory filling in for Kemi Badenoch failed at the despatch box.
Rayner was filling in for Keir Starmer who is in the Netherland for a NATO summit with world leaders. Badenoch is yet to actually choose a second-in-command, and has given the honour of standing in for her at PMQs to different Tory frontbenchers, all of whom, much like herself, have struggled to make an impact.
Stride sought to attack the government after more than a hundred Labour MPs signed up to an effort to block plans to reform disability and sickness-related benefits payments to save £5bn a year by 2030, citing concerns over the impact it would have on disabled people.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has insisted that he will still push ahead with the reforms, with supportive ministers saying that the reforms are needed not just because of financial reasons but also because the current system is letting down millions of people who could be supported into work.
Stride sought to capitalise on disagreements over the legislation, however his attempt backfired.
He asked Rayner if she was embarrassed to defend the welfare reforms “she doesn’t agree with herself”, to which Rayner replied: “I’m embarrassed every week that somebody comes here from their opposition who doesn’t apologise for the mess they left this country in.”
Rayner continued: “We’re putting working people first Mr Speaker, I’m proud we’ve got a huge boost to the minimum wage, the biggest uplift to affordable housing in a generation and expanding free school meals to half a million children, the Tories’ choice, billions of pounds in unfunded tax cuts for the wealthiest and we know where that gets us. It’s the same old Tories failed approach.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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