Raab would probably have lost the PMQ if he had been given the opportunity. Because even he now recognizes his own futility. There was a time when a PMQ between two MPs could have an advantage. Fund by itself. An opportunity to shine: to show backbenchers what they lacked. But Dom is not so foolish as to imagine that he is no longer the leader of the Tories. He had the opportunity in 2019 and the Tories wisely decided that having a not very intelligent psychopath with anger management problems was not the best appearance for their party. Thus Dom has fallen into a state of almost pointless existence. He has achieved almost everything he is going to achieve. And most of them bad. Now he just has to fill the rest of his life in a state of reckless activity. File this PMQ as occupational therapy for a minister who has reached the end of his political career in his 40s. Admittedly, Rwanda Panda is the only rather dim leader to give Raab a seat on the cabinet. Both Esher and Walton voters could well hand over the coup in the next election and vote it out. Nor is Angela Rayner’s immediate prospect of replacing Keir Starmer much better, as much as she or many Labor MPs like her. On the contrary, its future is closely linked to that of the Labor leader. If Starmer receives a fixed penalty notice, she will too. In this case, they both pledged to resign. And if the police acquit them, there will be no vacancy for Reiner, as Labor is unlikely to have another leadership contest before the next election. All of this caused a somewhat low PMQ. With Starmer and the Convict there is always a personal underground current. They really dislike each other. But Rayner and Raab can’t care so much about their opposite numbers. They just rub along OK. Take a few pieces from each other for the sake of the form, but all in a reasonably indifferent way. There are no difficult emotions because there should be some emotions in the beginning. With these, PMQs are purely ritualistic. Even more bloodless pantomime than usual. Raab began by explaining that the convict was far from the Commonwealth’s heads of government, the G7 and NATO. He tried to make it sound like it was some sort of Brexit bonus despite the usual activities of any British prime minister. Reiner suggested that the time must have been perfect for Johnson, as he desperately wanted to leave the country after two humiliating defeats in both elections. Was it really serious for the cabinet to support Boris until 2030 and beyond? Sunak looked terrified at the prospect. Dominic Raab turns a blind eye to Labor Deputy Leader Angela Reiner. Photo: House of Commons / PA Then we sank into a gentle blow. Inevitably Rayner came out on top. Because he always does. She is much smarter than Dom. And he has a sense of humor. We went back and forth. First with Raab trying to think of all the things the Tories had done – well, keep inflation below 10%, increase the overall tax burden, something like that – while insisting that the Tories wanted Boris to remain a leader for more than what the Labor Party wanted Kerry, and with Reiner calling on the Conservatives to call a general election if they felt so invincible. There were no supporters of this idea in government seats. The next elections cannot be held late enough. We went. Raab attacked her because she could not say what she thought about the train strikes and that she voted against Trident. Most creepy of all, he made a condescending wink and hinted that he had no job going to Glyndebourne. He obviously believes that opera is not for the working class. So much for the leveling agenda. God knows what Dom thinks about Glastonbury, where tickets are so much more expensive. Shame Dom had not bothered to listen to The Marriage of Figaro himself. He could then realize that they were servants to defeat Count Almaviva. Rainer just rolled his fists. Noting that Dom once claimed that food banks were just lifestyle choices for those with a lack of cash flow. People who had filled out their credit card with champagne. Or Prince Charles when there was no prince from Qatar to deliver a shopping bag full of banknotes. Noticing that the Tories themselves who were trying to shout it out had just passed a law barring Steve Bray from protesting outside Downing Street. And he had just sat on his deck chair complaining that the sea was closed while Boris gave priority to evacuating pets from Afghanistan. But it was all relatively trivial and no one really noticed when the session stopped. Much more important was the online news that the Privileges Committee had issued a “broadcast of all persons” inviting anyone with information about Johnson to appear. All respondents would be treated with the utmost confidentiality. This was an opportunity for anyone at No. 10 – or elsewhere – to show up without fear of being fooled by Johnson or the Cabinet Secretary for speaking out. Public duty still. I even put myself forward. I can list at least 10 times that Boris lied to MPs, the police and the country without sweating. I do not want to hold out your hopes, but this could really be the end of Convict. Crossed fingers.
