Penny Mordaunt ripped into Sir Keir Starmer in a blazing Commons attack after he heaped praise on Margaret Thatcher. The Labour leader used an article over the weekend to pay tribute to the former Conservative prime minister.
But speaking during business questions, the Commons Leader insisted Sir Keir is no Baroness Thatcher. She told MPs: “I knew Margaret Thatcher, and I can tell the honourable lady, that the leader of the opposition is no Margaret Thatcher.
“It’s going to take rather more than a light perm, pearls and a handbag for him to pull off that look. He’ll need to get a backbone. He’ll need to get some principles.
“He’ll need to rethink the party opposite’s stance on our Rwanda policy and on our border controls. He’ll need to rethink borrowing £28 billion more.
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“He might like to also stand up for the public and support our minimum service level agreements.” Ms Mordaunt went on: He might like to reject the demands of the Trades Union Congress who want to repeal all the reforms that Maggie brought in.
“He might like to call out the British Medical Association and the cruel action that they are planning which is going to cancel operations and cancel Christmas for thousands of elderly people in care.
“And might like to call out the immoral ask of unions to transport workers who will have to forgo pay over Christmas.
“In fairness, the great lady did say you turn if you want to and Labour’s leader jolly well has several times on his leadership pledges and almost every policy he’s announced since he became leader.
“She was the Iron Lady, he is the ironic man.”
Ms Mordaunt’s comments come after Sir Keir named Baroness Thatcher alongside former Labour prime ministers Tony Blair and Clement Attlee.
Writing for the Sunday Telegraph, he said: “Every moment of meaningful change in modern British politics begins with the realisation that politics must act in service of the British people, rather than dictating to them.
“Margaret Thatcher sought to drag Britain out of its stupor by setting loose our natural entrepreneurialism.”
But Sir Keir’s tribute proved controversial with some on the left of his party, while it was criticised by the SNP and mocked by Conservatives.
A Labour spokesman has since defended his position, saying: “Whether you agree with her or disagree with her, you can’t ignore the fact that Margaret Thatcher was a prime minister who came in with a clear sense of leadership and with a plan that she wanted to achieve.
“And that very starkly contrasts with the 13 years of drift and decline that we’ve had under the last five Conservative prime ministers who perhaps could learn something from her example.”
