Angela Rayner slapped down Tory Oliver Dowden with a savage reply to his question about ‘working people’.
The Deputy Prime Minister was filling in for Keir Starmer at PMQs while he’s visiting Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
And traditionally, when the Deputy PM takes PMQs, they face the deputy leader of the opposition across the despatch box.
Ms Rayner has playfully referred to her showdowns with Mr Dowden as “the battle of the gingers”.
But in a cheeky opening question at today’s ‘battle’, Mr Dowden asked what Ms Rayner’s definition of ‘working people’ was.
The point of the question was to try and get Ms Rayner to admit Labour would increase taxes on ‘working people’ – something they’ve insisted they won’t do – because small business owners are rumoured to be facing an increase to employer’s National Insurance contributions.
But Ms Rayner stood up and shot back: “The definition of working people are people that the Tory Party have failed for the last 14 years.”
“I don’t know how the shadow deputy prime minister can stand there with a straight face when it was the small businesses, the working people of this country, that paid the price for them crashing the economy, sending interest rates soaring.
“I think he needs to learn his own lessons in opposition.”
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Mr Dowden said the House would have heard Ms Rayner “disregard five million hard-working small business owners”, adding: “These are the publicans, the shopkeepers, the family running a local cafe, none of those count as working people to her.
“Now, Labour gave a clear commitment not to raise national insurance.
“The independent IFS (Institute for Fiscal Studies) has given their view on this, they say that raising employer national insurance is a tax on working people, even the Chancellor said that raising employer national insurance was a jobs tax that will make each new recruit more expensive and increase the cost to business.
“So does she agree with the IFS and her own Chancellor?
Ms Rayner replied: “I remember the party opposite, what they said to business, what was it, ‘F’ to business? Whereas this party held an international investment summit last week.”
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She added: “We’re pro-business, pro-worker, and getting on with fixing the mess that they left behind.”
Mr Oliver said it appeared Ms Rayner did not agree with the IFS, adding: “And I suppose it shouldn’t come as a surprise that she doesn’t agree with her Chancellor.
“But does she agree with this, and I quote ‘working people will pay when employers pass on the hike in national insurance’ – these are her words – so does she at least agree with herself?”
Ms Rayner replied: “What I’m incredibly proud of is this week, this Government brought in a new employment Bill, which will raise the living standards of 10 million workers.
“Would the shadow deputy prime minister like to apologise for the … 70-year hike in taxes that he put on working people, the crashes (to) the economy and the disaster that he left behind?”
Mr Dowden said of the Employment Rights Bill: “It’s a £5 billion hit to the British economy and that’s her own assessment.
“I think that following these answers there will be millions of working people now even more worried about the tax rises coming their way in next week’s Budget.”
Mr Dowden went on to raise the work of the “hard-working” King and the importance of the Commonwealth.
He asked: “Will she confirm that this Government recognises the unique role played by the Commonwealth and will she commit to deepening this relationship so that under His Majesty’s leadership we build upon possibly the greatest legacy of the late Queen?”
Ms **Rayner**, in her reply, said: “I will agree with (Mr Dowden). The King does a tremendous job and so did the late Queen and the Commonwealth is very important – and that’s why the King and Prime Minister at the moment are working together.”
Mr Dowden went on to joke: “Our Commonwealth family is brought together by historical and cultural ties, indeed much like the pair of us.”