While the bosses are away… Dominic Raab WINKS at Angela Rayner in the Commons as deputy leaders stand in at feisty PMQs – after Labour’s number two vows to wipe the floor with Boris Johnson’s ‘black belt’ lieutenant in her Kung Fu Panda heels

• Deputy Prime Minister was in the mood for fun as he stood in for Boris Johnson
• He and Ms Rayner, regularly make the most of their time in political spotlight
• Straight-talking Labour deputy leader got rough ride over RMT strike 
• Boasted beforehand that she was ready to take on the ‘karate black belt’ Tory
• Post a picture of her ‘Kung Fu Panda’ heels she was wearing in the Commons

The eyes have it! Dominic Raab winked at his Labour counterpart Angela Rayner as they squared off in the Commons today.

The Deputy Prime Minister was in the mood for fun as he stood in for Boris Johnson at Prime Minister’s Questions and tore into Ms Rayner over Labour’s attitude towards last week’s rail strikes.

He and Ms Rayner, Keir Starmer’s deputy, regularly make the most of their time to step up in the absence of their party leaders.

And today was no different, with with Mr Johnson at a Nato summit in Spain. Mr Raab gave the straight-talking Labour deputy leader a rough ride over the RMT action and her loyalty to Sir Keir. 

He also accused her of being a champagne socialist for attending an opera festival, sparking a snobbery row, with Boris Johnson’s spokesman saying ‘everybody should be able to enjoy arts and culture and other such things across the UK’.

It was during this exchanged that he winked across the despatch box. Laboru MP Toby Perkins tweeted: ‘I will never unsee Dominic Raab’s wink from the despatch box at Angela Rayner. I feel soiled.’

For her part, Ms Rayner also set the scene, boasting beforehand that she was reading to take on the ‘karate black belt’ Tory by wearing ‘Kung Fu Panda’ heels – posting a picture of her Irregular Choice footwear on Twitter.

For her part, Ms Rayner also set the scene, boasting beforehand that she was reading to take on the ‘karate black belt’ Tory by wearing ‘Kung Fu Panda’ heels, by Irregular Choice.

He and Ms Rayner, Keir Starmer ‘s deputy, regularly make the most of their time to step up in the absence of their party leaders.

And today was no different, with with Mr Johnson at a Nato summit in Spain. 

Ms Angela Rayner kicked off asked if Raab believed the Cabinet will prop the Prime Minister up until the 2030s.

Ms Rayner told the Commons: ‘This week the Government lost two by-elections in one day, the first in three decades. It’s no wonder that the Prime Minister has fled the country and left the honourable member to carry the can.

‘The people of Wakefield and Tiverton held their own vote of no confidence. The Prime Minister isn’t just losing the room, he is losing their country. But instead of showing some humility, he intends to limp on until the 2030s. So, does he think the Cabinet will prop him up for this long?’

The Deputy Prime Minister got a rousing reception when he replied: ‘I gently point out to her that we want this Prime Minister going a lot longer than she wants the leader of Labour Party…’

He noted ‘we have got a working majority of 75’ and ‘we are focusing on delivering for the British people’.

He added: ‘We will protect the public from these damaging rail strikes when we have got the scene of Labour frontbenchers joining the picket lines.’

He accused Ms Rayner of having ‘flip-flopped’ in her position on the strikes that hobbled the rail netwrok last week. 

He said: ‘She talks about working people. Where was she when the comrades were on the picket line last Thursday? Where was she when the Labour frontbench were joining them rather than standing up for the public?

‘She was at the Glyndebourne music festival sipping champagne, listening to opera. Champagne socialism is back in the Labour Party.’

Ms Rayner hit back saying Britain cannot ‘stomach’ Boris Johnson for another eight years. 

‘The truth is what I want for my honourable friend the Leader of this Opposition is not to be the Leader of the Opposition, but to be the prime minister of this country,’ she said.

‘To be honest, it could not come quick enough. Britain can’t stomach this Prime Minister for another eight years. His own backbenchers can’t stomach him for another eight minutes. And if they continue to prop him up, I doubt the voters will stomach him for even eight seconds in the ballot.

‘Now, let’s imagine the Prime Minister is still clinging on into the 2030s, under this tax high, low growth Tory government at this rate by 2030, the British public will have endured 55 tax rises. So, how many more tax rises will this Government inflict on working families before he says enough is enough?’

Mr Raab faced tough questions on tax from his own side as well. Conservative MP John Baron called for the Government to be ‘bolder’ on cutting taxes.

The MP for Basildon and Billericay said: ‘Will the Government be bolder in cutting taxes given all the evidence the world over shows that lower taxes increases prosperity, raises living standards, and better enables the Government to help the less fortunate, even if such a policy means cutting spending such as HS2?’

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said: ‘My honourable friend makes an important point about driving growth in the economy.

‘That’s why we are cutting taxes with the 130% super deduction … we are increasing the employment allowance which represents a tax cut of £1,000 for half a million small business.

‘That’s why we provided business rate relief of £7 billion over the next five years, and, of course, we are cutting national insurance just next month worth £330 for a typical employee.’

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