Deputy PM teams up with backbench Labour MPs to mock Reform’s ‘sweetheart deals with super-rich’ while Farage can only watch in silence
Angela Rayner launched her second consecutive PMQs ambush on Nigel Farage today, blasting the Reform UK leader for backing “billions more in unfunded tax cuts for the very richest” in what critics are calling a choreographed political hit job.
The Deputy Prime Minister teamed up with Labour backbencher Kanishka Narayan to savage Farage over his controversial plan to bring back non-dom tax status – with the Reform leader forced to sit in stony silence, unable to defend himself under parliamentary rules.
In scenes that will fuel claims of Labour orchestrating attacks on their surging rivals, Rayner declared “the mask has slipped” as she accused Reform of betraying working people with tax breaks for overseas billionaires.
The pile-on marks the second week running that Rayner has used her stand-in PMQs slot to take potshots at Farage while Sir Keir Starmer swans around The Hague hobnobbing with world leaders at the NATO summit.
‘Sweet Deals with the Super Rich’
The ambush began when Vale of Glamorgan MP Kanishka Narayan rose to ask a suspiciously specific question about Farage’s recent policy announcement.
Just this week, the member for Clacton put a singular, burning injustice first – the plight of overseas billionaires paying too much tax,” Narayan said, dripping with sarcasm.
“Does the Deputy Prime Minister agree with his priority, or with me? Reform UK doing sweet deals with the super rich is a betrayal of the working people.
Rayner eagerly seized the opportunity, declaring: “My honourable friend is absolutely right. The mask has slipped again this week.”
She then delivered her killer blow: “We know who pays for Reform tax breaks for overseas billionaires, tax hikes on working people and patients being charged to see their doctor. Labour won’t let that happen.”
Farage Forced to Sit and Take It
Under Westminster’s archaic rules, Farage had no right of reply and was forced to endure the tag-team demolition job in silence – a fact that clearly delighted his Labour tormentors.
The Reform leader’s controversial policy would see wealthy foreigners charged £250,000 for a “Britannia Card” granting them non-dom status and allowing them to avoid UK tax on overseas earnings.
Tax experts have warned the scheme would blow a £34billion hole in public finances over five years – ammunition Rayner gleefully exploited.
But with no chance to defend his position or explain the policy, Farage could only watch as Labour MPs high-fived over their choreographed takedown.
Déjà Vu All Over Again
The attack bore striking similarities to last week’s PMQs, when Labour MP Adam Thompson mocked Farage’s mathematical abilities after the Reform leader claimed to have identified £7billion in government waste that turned out to be just £27million.
What can we do to help people like the leader of Reform UK, who evidently can’t add up?” Thompson had asked, setting up Rayner to quip about sending Farage details of £136million skills boot camps.
The pattern is becoming so predictable that even Farage predicted it on his GB News show, suggesting the attacks feel “manufactured.
Rayner’s Rising Star
Despite using her platform to repeatedly attack Reform, Rayner has won unlikely praise from Farage himself for her confident performances at the dispatch box.
“She was in charge. She showed some pretty hard, left-wing views on the damage they are doing to private education,” Farage said after last week’s session.
He particularly noted her ability to deliver statements “without looking down all the time unlike Starmer and Rachel Reeves” – a backhanded compliment that suggests even her political opponents recognise her growing confidence.
Recent polling shows Rayner’s stock rising among Labour members, with a 71-point approval rating after calling for tax rises on the wealthy. She now ranks second only to Andy Burnham as a potential Starmer successor.
Reform’s Billionaire Problem
The attacks come as Reform faces increasing scrutiny over its funding sources. The party has received nearly £5million from wealthy donors since 2023, including those with links to fossil fuels, financial services and tax havens.
Notable donors include party deputy leader Richard Tice (£600,000) and aristocratic socialite Fiona Cottrell (£750,000), who once reportedly dated the King.
The party’s treasurer Nick Candy has openly boasted about plans for fundraisers “all over the world” including Monaco and the UAE, targeting expats “unhappy with the amount of regulation and tax in the UK.”
Flying High in the Polls
Despite the parliamentary pummelling, Reform continues to surge in opinion polls, with some surveys placing them ahead of both Labour and the Conservatives.
The party claims over 233,000 members – which, if true, would generate between £2.3million and £5.8million annually in membership fees alone.
But as Rayner’s orchestrated attacks demonstrate, Labour clearly views Reform as a serious threat worth targeting – even if it means using PMQs as a platform for what amounts to political theatre.
The Starmer Strategy?
With the Prime Minister absent for two consecutive PMQs, questions are being raised about whether this is part of a deliberate strategy to let his deputy do the dirty work of attacking Reform.
While Starmer maintains his statesman-like image at international summits, Rayner gets to throw red meat to the Labour base by savaging their populist rivals.
It’s clever politics – but with Farage unable to respond and the attacks feeling increasingly staged, voters may start to question whether this is really what Prime Minister’s Questions should be used for.
As one Westminster watcher put it: “It’s less Prime Minister’s Questions and more ‘Let’s All Pile On Nigel’ hour. Democracy in action? You decide.”
Image credit: Photo by House of Commons, taken on 30 July 2024 during the Home Building Statement in the House of Commons featuring Rt Hon Angela Rayner, Secretary of State for Housing commons.wikimedia.org. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0).
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