She arched a tweezered eyebrow at her opponent: HENRY DEEDES sees Andrea Leadsom play the numbers game in the House
Word around Westminster is that Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom is for the chop.
Too flimsy, seems to be the received wisdom among the Downing Street policy chin strokers, too insubstantial. Hasn’t made enough impact on her department etc, etc.
Which would be a pity, as she tends to give a decent account of herself in the chamber. She certainly performed well enough at Business Questions yesterday where the SNP – surprise, surprise – were whining about Brexit.
Owen Thompson (Midlothian) moaned that Scottish firms were not being given proper advice about our withdrawal from the EU. Drew Hendry (Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey) doubted the Prime Minister’s abilities to cut a trade deal.
Word around Westminster is that Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom is for the chop, writes HENRY DEEDES
He likened Britain to a sinking ship. Independence, he said, would be Scotland’s lifeboat.
Apart from a second referendum, Brexit has now become the Scots’ sole topic of conversation in the Commons. It is almost as though their only tactic is to simply bore the Government into submission.
Mrs Leadsom, showing off a natty new tweed coat, shot her rowdy opponents a mildly pitiful glare. She is the sort of politician provincial Tories tend to admire. Steely without being frightening. Stern without being too brusque.
Change the record, was her firm response. Move on. Start showing some optimism.
Patricia Gibson (SNP, North Ayrshire and Arran ) walked into a pot-hole by bringing up unemployment. Oops. Earlier that morning the latest employment figures had been released. Once again they were the highest on record. ‘She will no doubt also be delighted to know that there has been a 12.7 per cent increase in employment in North Ayrshire and Arran since 2010,’ Leadsom chirped. The minister then broke into her warmest, mumsiest smile. Gibson did not.
There was a no-show from Labour’s Rebecca Long-Bailey. Off trying to salvage her leadership bid presumably, meaning the party’s industry spokesman Chi Onwurah had to deputise.
There was a no-show from Labour’s Rebecca Long-Bailey. Off trying to salvage her leadership bid presumably, writes HENRY DEEDES
There was a vinegary exchange when Onwurah accused Leadsom of going AWOL – from voters during the election and from the business community since. The minister arched a tweezered eyebrow at her stand-in opponent. ‘It is very unfortunate that she decided to play the man and not the ball, because she is absolutely incorrect,’ Mrs Leadsom remarked.
As former Speaker John Bercow – who was once overheard referring to her as a ‘stupid woman’ in a muttered aside – will attest, La Leadsom does not take condescension lightly. Things got awfully noisy toward the end. This may have owed something to the appearance of the minister’s colleague Kelly Tolhurst at the despatch box.
Our Kel has quite a presence in the House. Spiky stilettos, hair bigger than a young Raquel Welch. Whenever she wants to make a point her fist tends to get raised in the air forcefully.
Things almost bubbled over in an exchange with Rachel Reeves (Lab, Leeds West) about the minimum wage. Ex-banker Rachel is no meek little Mary either. Just ask ex-Thomas Cook boss Thomas Fankhauser, who she impressively monstered last year.
Reeves, voice blasting like a ship’s horn, was furious that only nine firms had been prosecuted for underpaying their workers. ‘There have actually been 14 prosecutions,’ cried Tolhurst back, her volume dial twisted up to 11.
Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, sitting amid this exchange, suddenly looked like a cartoon character who finds his head caught between two crashing cymbals.
Labour’s employment spokeswoman Rachael Maskell then joined in. ‘Simply not good enough!’ she yelled at Tolhurst. ‘What is she going to do about it and by when? One thing is clear: we, the Labour Party, are the only party that will ever stand up for working people.’
Tolhurst: ‘I would thank the Honourable Lady for her comments, but I wonder whether she is living in a land of fiction…’
Maskell: ‘Answer the question! Answer the quesschunnnnn!’
Cowering beside Tolhurst was Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng. He reminded me of a schoolboy during the Blitz nervously waiting for an air raid to pass.
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