It was deputies’ day at PMQs. Sir Keir Starmer is busy flying around the world yet again. This time he’s trying to charm the unlucky leaders of the G20. Angela Rayner took his place at PMQs opposite Alex Burghart for the Tories. His opener was terse and effective.
‘What is the government doing to bring down inflation?’
Rayner was prepared. She reminded him that he was the ‘growth minister’ under Liz Truss when inflation soared to 11 per cent. Fair point. Burghart quoted the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecast that Rachel Reeve’s smash-and-grab budget will lift inflation to three per cent. Rayner drawled out an identical reply and suggested that three percent is preferable to 11 per cent.
On inheritance tax, Burghart mentioned a family of farmers who were in tears yesterday. Their children will be denied a chance of continuing the family business.
‘What does she have to say to them?’
‘We are absolutely committed to our British farmers,’ said Rayner, which prompted outraged jeers from the Tories. She backed up this claim by quoting a few fat figures. A subsidy of £5 billion for agriculture, she said, and £60 million to protect land from severe weather. Burghart suggested that this explained the demo. ‘Everyone came to London to thank the government.’
He gave an example of the new tax in action. A farm of 360 acres will attract inheritance tax of £0.5m which is the equivalent of 12 years’ profits. The tax will effectively bankrupt the farmer. Rayner drawled out another reply claiming that most farms wouldn’t pay a penny extra. Berghart asked her to rule out further inheritance tax hikes. She didn’t. He took this as significant.
‘No guarantee! They’re coming back for more,’ he said, and he accused her of waging war on anyone who doesn’t vote Labour.
This was a decent debut. He has eloquence, wit and plenty of fire in his belly. Comparisons will be made with Tory hatchet-man, Michael Howard. And there’s an echo of the former Labour leader, John Smith, whose relaxed wit was always a treat to watch.
Rayner by contrast was dull, complacent and far too pleased with herself. Power has diminished her. What happened to the sense of mischief and fun at the despatch box? Instead of answering questions, she parroted replies that involved huge sums of cash, as if the nation’s public services exist to eat money and nothing else.
Daisy Cooper of the Lib Dems warned her that hikes in National Insurance will cripple private firms that provide adult social care. Anticipating Rayner’s reply Cooper highlighted a shortfall of £200m. Rayner ignored this and waffled about protecting ‘new grant funding for social care’ and ‘an uplift to local government spending’ (code for council tax rises.) Rayner appears not to care. She flings money around like a cartoon princess tossing coins at the peasants to buy their silence. Cooper mentioned the anxieties of a small farmer, Kathy, who may have to sell up to cover her inheritance tax liabilities.
Rayner: ‘I’m sorry to hear that Kathy is distressed by what I’d say is scaremongering.’
She didn’t sound sorry. Just indifferent. Replies like that will fuel the anger of farmers.
The issue of Rachel Reeves’s upgraded CV was raised by Graham Stuart. The chancellor claims to have worked as an economist when her colleagues suggest that really she was in charge of biscuits at the customer-service desk. Or a similarly humble role. Stuart didn’t mention Reeves by name but he listed public servants who were severely punished for telling porkies in their biogs.
‘Are serious consequences right and just in such cases?’ he asked Rayner.
She smirked again and tossed her hairdo around. ‘I know where he’s trying to go with this,’ she grinned. ‘In the last four months, she has shown more competence than the last four chancellors he had.’
She dodged it pretty openly. Which may suggest a cover-up. But it doesn’t feel too serious for Reeves. A CV is more like a romantic novel than an affidavit. A few touches of fantasy are expected.
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