Tom Newton Dunn - Famous Last Words

No-one more epitomises the disconnect between the Murdoch Sun’s hacks and pundits and the paper’s readership than the paper’s non-bullying former political editor, Tom Newton Dunn. He went to Marlborough, dontcha know? That backstory has endured: Newton Dunn is still wont to look down his nose at those ghastly lower orders.

Angela Rayner - bested Bozo ...

... someone wasn't happy about that

So it was that when he became aware Labour leader Keir Starmer was self-isolating, as a family member had Coronavirus symptoms and their test result had not yet been made available, and that Angela Rayner would deputise for him at PMQs, he sneered “Almost 36 hours on, Keir Starmer's spokesman says he is still in isolation awaiting his family member's test result, so Angela Rayner will do PMQs for him tomorrow. One silver lining for Boris Johnson in the testing shambles”. A mere Gel with a provincial accent, eh?

For those of us who have met Ms Rayner, this is the most obvious weapons grade Twattery. She is not only genuinely approachable, she connects with ordinary people in the way many politicians do not. More importantly, she knows her stuff. Alleged Prime Minister Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson does not. And so it proved at noon today.

The session did not begin well, as Lewis Goodall observed. “PM says he doesn’t know why [Keir Starmer] isn’t in the chamber”. Which of the two was in isolation? Bozo blustered at length. Goodall again. “Rayner: ‘is he finished? Ok. The whole country will have seen that he didn’t know the wage of a carer, which is what I asked.’”

Paul Waugh of the HuffPost observed “[Angela Rayner] off to a flying start. Seems already have reduced the PM to stuttering incoherence”. Theo Usherwood of LBC watched another exchange. “Angela Rayner asks whether all care homes have weekly tests. PM: ‘To the best of my knowledge, yes’”. But Bozo’s trousers were already smouldering.

Usherwood noted “Angela Rayner quotes back to him the chief executive of Care England who says weekly tests in care homes aren’t being delivered”. It got worse. “Rayner does compare and contrast. People not able to say goodbye to loved ones whilst you can go on a grouse shoot. PM accuses Labour of ‘raising issues that are tangential’”. It ain’t tangential to the poor souls who can’t say goodbye to their loved ones.

And on the subject of those elusive tests and the long drives some have to undertake to get them, Paul Waugh had this. “Decent gag from [Angela Rayner]: ‘the next time a man drives from London to Durham it will be to take a coronavirus test’”. To which Rob Hutton soon added “Johnson's pre-planned PMQs final reply to Rayner includes ‘we’re getting on with delivering the priorities of the British people’, which would be better if it hadn't arrived in reply to a question about grouse shooting”. So what was the verdict?

The people at Evolve Politics said simply “Angela Rayner is very good at this”. Mic Wright was more specific. “Angela Rayner is doing well against Johnson. The contrast between his burbling and her direct questions is apparent and stark”. And Tom Newton Dunn was Sun political editor when the paper was accusing Labour MPs of being snobs.

Today the ghastly lower orders bit back. What Tom Newton Dunn won’t be telling you.

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