Angela Rayner took aim at Oliver Dowden during today’s PMQs by reminding him how he pushed for a July general election.
The deputy prime minister and her shadow took to the despatch box at midday as Keir Starmer is travelling to a Commonwealth summit in Samoa.
The Tory frontbencher tried to target Rayner over the speculation on the Budget and the government’s anticipated tax rises.
But she quickly turned it around in what she later dubbed “the battle of the gingers”.
Alluding to Labour’s pledge not to raise taxes for “working people”, Dowden asked: “What is the deputy prime minister’s definition of working people?”
Rayner replied: “Well first of all, let me start by welcoming the Right Honourable Gentleman to his new place.
“Today’s our first exchange, Mr Speaker, since he pushed for a July general election.”
The Commons broke out into laughter at that and even Dowden smiled at the jibe, considering his party suffered a historic defeat on July 4.
Although then-PM Rishi Sunak did not actually have to call a general election until December 2024 at the very latest, he chose to call it early on the advice of some senior Tory figures like Dowden.
The former deputy PM reportedly did not believe Sunak could afford to wait, as the economic bounce back they had promised had not yet kicked in.
But the Conservatives took a hefty beating, securing just 121 seats, while Labour won a landslide.
It meant Rayner and Dowden effectively swapped places in the Chamber.
So the new deputy PM joked: “If his own side hasn’t offered him a peerage, I certainly would have.”
Rayner then snuck in another snide remark, adding: “And Mr Speaker, the definition of working people are the people who the Tory Party have failed for the last 14 years.”
And, towards the end of PMQs, which Dowden said was their “last exchange at the despatch box”, Rayner joked: “I will miss our exchanges. The battle of the gingers, the late night voting.”