"It's hard to exaggerate how bad that was" | PMQs Analysed | 24.04.24

James O’Brien and LBC’s Lewis Goodall analyse this week's PMQs as Oliver Dowden faces Angela Rayner.
'I'm midway through my humble pie'
'I made the mistake of underestimating Angela Rayner'
'Angela Rayner is not a normal political figure'
'Dowden fell apart'
'She bossed him around the House of Commons chamber'
'Dowden's entire line of attack crumbled'
'Downden was flailing'
'The best defence is a good offence'
'Dowden proved himself completely incapable'
'Dowden was toast'
'She has affirmed to her allies why she's so valuable'
'Dowden went completely off piste'
'The whole strategy completely collapsed'
'It's hard to exaggerate how bad that was for Oliver Dowden'
'This is why they hate and fear Angela Rayner so much'
Listen to the full show on Global Player: l-bc.co/ListenNow
#jamesobrien #lewisgoodall #PMQs #LBC
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[@uniquerebeljaney3639]

I can't help it, I love Angela Rayner, the contempt she has for these Tory tw@s mirrors my own.

[@Carlos12330]

With you 100% 👍

[@mcfcguvnors]

me 3

[@moonshine9902]

Once held her in high esteem. Even thought she'd be a great PM. Alas !!! When she instigated blocking aid to the starving children in Palestine; I feel a great sense of disappointment, when she herself is a single mother from working class family.

[@heybigbender]

​@@moonshine9902 Palestine isn't in the UK, babe. What another nation does has nothing to do with Angela Raynor. You're lost in ideology.

[@forestsunset9617]

@@heybigbender she is looking to gain high power so it has everything to do with her, when the country is excusing horrors and selling arms.

[@ThomasKing19933]

PMQs shows how much contempt the Tories have for the general public.

[@SkeletonDrums1]

I find it totally unwatchable, no insightful information is ever offered, its just braying public schooled twonks.

[@nigelsynnott7344]

@@SkeletonDrums1 Angela Rayner a braying public schooled twonk? Really???

[@Tom_murray89]

The tories don’t care about the voters they just use us. Also they are scared of Angela Rayners

[@SkeletonDrums1]

@@nigelsynnott7344 obviously not, I'm referring to the other side of the house!

[@umaryusufu5039]

The whole lot of them. The Tories just take the biscuit, soggy biscuit 😮😂

[@vinh7251]

She is so many things that the Tories are bred to despise - unashamedly working class, intelligent, articulate, a northerner, young, a woman, openly hostile to their “let the devil take the hindmost” social Darwinism and she WILL bring a baseball bat to a fist fight for what she believes in. That she goes toe to toe with them and figuratively points to her chin and says “Go on then, I dare ya.” and they are too scared to take a swing must absolutely infuriate them no end. Can you tell that I’m a fan? 😉

[@chatham43]

@vin And perfectly entitled to buy a council property and make a tidy sum out of it!

[@nicholasbradford8976]

Intelligent????😂

[@curbyi76]

Working-class never done a days work in a life union rep then into politics, knocked up at about 12 granny got about 25 yeah she's top-notch

[@davekirton4096]

​@@curbyi76worked as a carer actually and was not knocked up at 12

[@davekirton4096]

​@@nicholasbradford8976yes, people without posh accents and a public school education can be intelligent

[@Petersworld77]

Dowden oozes public school boy arrogance from every pore. Why Tory’s put him at the despatch box demonstrates to me how lacking they are in self awareness.

[@Matt-cz6ti]

The thing is, he’s comprehensive-educated. He sounds and looks a lot posher than he really is

[@cupguin]

​@@Matt-cz6ti Not that I didn't believe you but honestly had to look that up and he's basically posh state educated. He went to a "partially selective state comprehensive school" that has a list of famous founder alumni. Then he followed that up with Cambridge. It would be more surprising and impressive if he wasn't obsessed with pretending to be posh with that kind of background.

[@chatham43]

@peterjones So you didn't go to public school?. Never mind!

[@glendasharman6843]

I find him repulsive because of his public school boy arrogance apart from his spinning of the truth.

[@glendasharman6843]

@@Matt-cz6ti They are usually the worse. People use to say that Indians were more British than the British as they were exaggerating and mimicking imperialism.

[@charlestaylor8059]

Angela Rayner is unusual in politics in as much as she is a completely normal person - and i mean that as a huge compliment to her.

[@adamwalkington6361]

Shes worth millions and lying about her houses. If she was a torie she would already be gone. Being a lefty doesnt mean you can get away with the law. I doubt us normal people would

[@keithpanton]

@@adamwalkington6361 You've watched the wild corruption, criminality and lies of the Tory party over the past decade, and you think a possible £3000 in dodged tax would be enough to end a Tory career? :D

[@007JHS]

@@adamwalkington6361 And you know her accrued wealth because a) you read it in The Mail b) You opened up a chinese fortune cookie c) you made it up???

[@stephenmurray2851]

​@@007JHSaye because everything in the mail is a lie 😂. So how do you know she's not rich? Did you read it in the guardian

[@SkinnyCretin14]

​@adamwalkington6361 Is this a joke? There are a ton of Tories in the party who have dodged millions in tax and are still there. Even if Rayner has made a mistake, they won't be able to prove it was deliberate and will amount to about 1.5k. Not exactly big numbers compared to many Tory politicians

[@shaunjp2211]

They're are shaking in their boots when Angela Rayner does pmqs. They really are scared she'll become PM one day.

[@chatham43]

@shaun So would the rest of the country!

[@ManGoatHamburger]

@@chatham43So would the rest of the country what?

[@kariHopwood]

@@ManGoatHamburger @chatham43 is a bot

[@ManGoatHamburger]

@@kariHopwood His stupidity is far too realistic to be a bot, surely?

[@nicindiff]

Angela was on fire!! Was laughing so much at Dowden. Loved it.

[@joepoppleton7614]

Is Oliver Dowden the worst person to ever stand at the dispatch box on a performance only basis?? He has all the charisma of a yoghurt stirred in water

[@michaelwarner5656]

5 minute Truss

[@stevehall6299]

​@@michaelwarner5656 👍

[@joepoppleton7614]

@@michaelwarner5656 at least she gave us the “fighter and not a quitter” zinger! Dowden just gives me depression.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

At room temperature. He is all you said but at room temperature, so even worse.

[@federicoprice2687]

Brilliant!! 😂

[@petyrkowalski9887]

Oh no, Angela Rayner used the tories « right to buy »…. And now they dont like it 😂😂😂😂😂

[@chatham43]

@pety And she always endorsed the right to buy scheme so no hypocrisy there!

[@ManGoatHamburger]

@@chatham43fope

[@andym.6141]

Angela v. Dowden at PMQs, the prelude to Tory apocalypse on May 2nd. 😂

[@Tee-bq2po]

Angela R made a toast of Dowden & ate him with Jam !!!! No wonder the Tories attack her 👋👋👋

[@TheGava4]

Despite stumbling through her words she still came out best…🤷‍♂️

[@ukkingboss7735]

Was it the bit where she was so flustered she couldn’t get her words out.??

[@hayleyxyz]

​@@ukkingboss7735it's telling how much you know she destroyed him when this is the best you can come up with

[@kalebdaark100]

I don't disagree but the turn of phase you chose just seemed a bit....Wrong?

[@mclark1515]

@@TheGava4yep, despite that 5 second stumble, she did!

[@boxingday11]

What an absolute star Reyner is 👍🏻⭐️

[@dorothygranville-yb1zf]

Angela was on fire. No wonder they are scared of her.

[@stephenreeds3632]

That's why the Mail is after her.

[@An-Alien-On-Earth]

She got destroyed

[@glendasharman6843]

All she has to do is tell the TRUTH without spin, and she's a winner.

[@moomin7461]

​@@An-Alien-On-Earth😂😂

[@catgladwell5684]

She's just cleverer than them.

[@michaelcope856]

As a pint-sized man, I approve Angela Rayner's message.

[@roseanncampbell3168]

No, you're a pint sized winner mate 😊

[@kendiamond8722]

​@@roseanncampbell3168wee lie again 😂

[@paulc1553]

Angela Rayner hit Oliver Dowden with a Mortal Kombat Fatality.

[@duckweedy]

I don't think it was strategy. Rayner is a fighter. She always comes out fighting.

[@shanecopner7827]

Well done Angela,fantastic

[@alanw8311]

Don't take this the wrong way please as it's meant as a compliment . Angela Rayner is the new improved version of John Prescott with much better looks and biting wit to boot.

[@mclark1515]

Probably has a better punch as well 😂

[@i-am-vonnegut]

Watch the right hook too

[@kevinsmarts9953]

She serves a similar purpose in that she represents the working class and the north in a way the leader can't and she is the attack dog he can't be. That being said, everyone looks better than Prezza.

[@alanw8311]

@@i-am-vonnegut Don't you mean left hook ?😃

[@alanw8311]

@@mclark1515 She's got a great combination.😆

[@johnledington6242]

Rayner for PM

[@jdizzle1779]

Based on?

[@keithpanton]

@@jdizzle1779 Starmer.

[@jdizzle1779]

@@keithpanton so not on her own merit or working history, but due to how bad Starmer is.

[@bobpond5024]

Dowden finished Labours questions with She spends too much time criticising others failings isn’t that the oppositions job to hold them to account you couldn’t make it up

[@hayleyxyz]

Lol yep. Same with Sunak when he says Starmer is "political sniping from the sidelines".

[@user-rw5xx7ct8c]

Whose "other's failings" did he have in mind?😂

[@TalesOfWar]

And he's stood there, in a government that's been in power for FOURTEEN YEARS and still blaming the previous Labour government for not doing something to fix things. Which they also haven't fixed.

[@ineedmoreflavour1955]

Tory sneering was disgusting in PMQ's today.

[@anonomous8719]

And labour wasn’t?

[@hayleyxyz]

​@@anonomous8719 Correct

[@anonomous8719]

@@hayleyxyz ah selective listening- LBC is a propaganda broadcast for labour so it’s understandable.

[@CarnaghSidhe]

@@anonomous8719 in case you hadn't noticed mate, Labour aren't in charge, the Tories are with a large majority in both the Commons and the Lords. There is no equivalence here. The Tories have bollocksed everything up, and a sneer on their faces looks psychopathic, because a sneer denotes contempt, and contempt at this point from the Tories is beyond The Pale... But, hey, if you're happy being mugged, you keep on doing you. Each to their own. I personally don't like being mugged.

[@i-am-vonnegut]

They're purile.

[@karenmiller6258]

When tory MP's in hot water hide away , Angela is there to face the music ....l have the deepest respect for her. She has done nothing wrong . Kier and Angela can be assured of my vote, in a general election that can't happen soon enough .

[@johnmccann5104]

Personally I wouldn't trust any cabinet or shadow cabinet minister as far as I could kick them.... but at least Rayner has some passion about her......Starmer should take note 🇬🇧

[@andygass9096]

me 2

[@AdamRThomasMusic]

this guy don't wanna battle, he's shook. CAUSE AIN'T NO SUCH THINGS AS HALFWAY CROOKS

[@terencefisher4707]

Angela Rayner was a shop steward, she would have out manouvered managers on a daily basis. Most managers think they are impeachable when in fact they act like imbeciles. She will have been well practised at giving instant reposts to the idiotic actions on a day to day basis. Her heart is in the ideals of equality and fairness, holding those who do not adhere to agreements to task. Dealing with the Tory shower will be a walk in the park. Now that’s why the Tories are afraid of Angela Rayner…….brothers and sisters.

[@joex2004uk]

She dominated the wimpy school prefect!

[@chatham43]

@joex And you're impartial too!

[@andrewrobinson2565]

Malaya hasn't existed since the British decolonised it. Mr. Speaker! The country is called Malaysia, and has been since YOU WERE 2 MONTHS OLD 🚸. (1957)

[@terryloftus8626]

The Tories hate arguing with an ex council house,or "one of us" people.Bravo Angela.

[@andrewrobinson2565]

When Penny Mordaunt finally woke up, she whispered: "She vil also go on ze list!" 😮

[@ogribiker8535]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@shanecopner7827]

Penny I'm so miserable mordant,yawn yawn

[@totty1962]

Tories shouldn't mess with redheads.

[@roseanncampbell3168]

Prince Harry is another redhead the government keep messing with 😮

[@duncanbuchanan218]

No one should mess with a redhead...

[@199019852007]

@@duncanbuchanan218 I like a redhead they are a rare breedy

[@anastasiabeaverhausen5467]

We have heard it all and spent a lifetime distilling our retorts.

[@fgrsimon]

Shouldn't mess with 'bad men' either it seems.

[@andrewmcgee382]

She did very well. She has clearly mastered her leader's technique of interspersing jokes with anti-Tory rhetoric, but remembering to finish with an actual question (she didn't use to do that) which is suitably barbed. A clear win on points for her.

[@XAVR_]

Genuinely believe that things will eventually be measurably better under Labour when they win the next election than things have been with these criminals.

[@georgebain5734]

No they won't Mark my words you are in for the shock of a lifetime

[@barrywest2170]

👏🏼👏🏿👏🏾

[@barrywest2170]

Will definitely improve with incoming Labour government because we’ve suffered 14 years of lies scandals and corruption under the tory nasty party

[@stevehall6299]

​@@georgebain5734 george, I think you're part of diminishing pool of thinking. It's very likely things aren't going to be brilliant straight away. It's going to take time to repair all the damage these malevolent clods have caused over the last *14 years!*

[@handarokadath1515]

​@georgebain5734 Honestly ?😮

[@boba2783]

She has a style? You mean she cares?

[@jake751]

No

[@moomin7461]

​@@jake751More than you.

[@Mudge07]

It's a common legal practice to mention in opening arguments that which could undermine your own case and that you have the knowledge and evidence to counter it. All this delivered prior to the opposition having a chance to mention it in their proposals. So taking a leaf out of the Starmer official playbook has paid off.

[@michaelgoode9555]

Awesome strategy well engineered. Dowdej like Sunak is weak and has no mental gymnastics to rely upon. They also cannot just blatantly lie like Johnson could, and did. Great dynamic and intelligent strategy from Angela and her team. This lady will go far.

[@chatham43]

@michael She is certainly no hypocrite!

[@adamwalkington6361]

Mental Gymnastics is a negative term meaning that someone has gone to great lengths to divert away from the actual subject. Lefty logic 101 one rule for you and one rule for me obviously

[@andrewwalledge6101]

Having a REAL person in Parliament who didn't do PPE at Cambridge etc etc etc seems to really distress the rest of 'em. Very funny, please can we have some more now.

[@thedonal]

I could only watch a few minutes of PMQs today- the first time since 2020. Much as I can't bear the vile outpourings of Sunak, Truss or Johnson, I really can't listen to Dowden. He's an utter waste of space. I can't imagine he's actually capable of anything useful.

[@malcolmstockbridge2569]

He did an amazing job today.....for Labour.

[@PeterRIGBY08]

Angela was amazing!!!

[@Liam.Fairhurst]

They're scared because she is one of the few who actually represent the many

[@chatham43]

@liam Too true. Countless people have taken advantage of Maggie's right to buy scheme!

[@Stuboy]

Next labour leader and PM Rayner

[@kimhallfeb]

Love Angela 🥰

[@johnnypatterson7512]

If you're honest you don't ever have to waffle.

[@chatham43]

@Johnny And she's honest as the day is long. Just ask her hubby!😊

[@GwynnethNoxon]

She wiped the floor with him, by the end even Downing was laughing.

[@jammysmears4077]

Oliver Dowden - if a Postman Pat character was evil and made of poo instead of clay.

[@AkinaMedia]

It's gone B-Rabbit defence from 8-Mile. It worked for Eminem lol

[@lloydstrips7586]

I can't understand why it's called PMQs when questions are very rarely answered.

[@paulmoorby2297]

I am 71 ,And i hated Thacther, but thish lot are so incompetent ,please lets have a election !!!

[@gordonwilson1631]

Starmer can’t do this stuff. Call it what it is, class warfare. Something the Tories are well aware of and dare not mention. Lewis Goodall is well aware of this. Let’s raise the debate by making it boisterous.

[@stevehall6299]

Yeah, they might just wake up their precious red wall voters.

[@carlosgomes2783]

Oliver Dowden, graduate in law at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, brought to earth by someone he probably thinks of as a working class trollop - what's not to love? Angela, if you're reading this, will you marry me?

[@andygass9096]

get jn the que

[@bishwatntl]

The only thing I want to read in the Sunday papers is that Sunak has quit and called an election

[@zaggyboy100]

She's the political embodiment of Tyson "everyone has a plan till you punch them in the mouth" she just got out there and Punched him in the mouth.

[@TP1988]

With every week that passes, Lewis looks more like a man planning to foil James Bond

[@amc5966]

Angela Reyner is an incredible woman. I pray that one day we can have a fierce, intelligent and genuine woman like her as PM.

[@kingalphabah8134]

Hand signal 😂😂😂

[@SimplySketchyXbox]

I know James shouldn't surprise me with his breadth, but him bringing out the 8 Mile and knowing what it is in proper context was indeed surprising.

[@robertfmorton]

Imagine how massive the Labour Party would be now if Rayner was leader!?

[@jayball4155]

I thought of 8 Mile, too! "Now tell them something they don't already know..."

[@terencemacsweeney3667]

Rayner talks straight, and is honest. Well done Angela.

[@middleman9183]

honest? 😂

[@shacklock01]

Time for a stockport lass to lead, Starmer was just the one dragged in to sanitize the party, now step aside and let someone we actually like lead.

[@andygass9096]

No They are a team,Ying and Yang

[@joanormrod4893]

I like how she responds and demolishes his lacklustre and distraction strategies. Bravo that woman.

[@hefeydd_]

Rayner humiliated Dowden and then spat him out before he even got to say anything and then The Times had the audacity to print in their Tory rag of a broadsheet newspaper that Dowden had humiliated Rayner when it was the complete opposite.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

It's adorable that James relates the story of Rabbit then credits Adele & others tweeting online.

[@davidioanhedges]

When they reported her to the police, but not for something specific, so they can just tell them to keep fishing until they find something, then say "see we tld you!"

[@prideofdurham4776]

GB News says Raynor was "torn apart".Were there TWO PMTs?

[@iangascoigne8231]

To paraphrase Mandy Rice-Davies, “they would say that, wouldn’t they”?

[@mustrumridcully3853]

GBeebies, talking pish since day 1

[@chatham43]

@prideo What were you doing watching GB news..or did you make it up?

[@prideofdurham4776]

I didnt watch it , I saw the headline.

[@Lea31706]

Don’t mess with a northerner 😂❤️

[@david-no6xl]

Angela is a true working class Labour person, they just need more off them

[@gazzahendrie]

Actually couldn’t be more proud of James purely for knowing in detail about 8mile

[@rebeccaroncoroni9502]

Angela Rayner for PM.

[@sidtedtilley]

She reminds me of the late great Dennis Skinner and his words with Thatcher. It's called Northern grit

[@malcolmstockbridge2569]

Dennis is very much still alive !!!

[@happychappy7115]

Starmer using AR as a foil, an attack dog in a dress; an intelligent woman who can easily highlight just how appalling this government truly are😊

[@simonwood1402]

These days all the political heavy weights are in the Labour Party 🗳

[@chatham43]

@simon Starmer certainly is. Lay off the prawn cocktails Keir!

[@simonwood1402]

@@chatham43 Have you seen Eric Pickles!? 😳 🥧🍰

[@davidkimball5222]

8 mile the first thing I thought of. I learned a great lesson from that scene, always get ahead of your weaknesses so your enemies can't use them against you.

[@byronnilsson6808]

Never underestimate Angela....

[@Gaza-vu6gl]

Dowden couldn’t get out of there quick enough. Brilliant Angela. Like the pop about Sunak 😂

[@WhiteArrowVR]

Never thought I would hear the day James O’Brien talks about 8 Mile 😂😂

[@thephattones]

Just seen the thumbnail for gb news analysis of pmq's. They really are clutching.

[@stoicotter1175]

Audio?

[@michaelmccarthy9411]

"House of cards" is the expression.

[@michaelsproat3363]

Baldie and his sidekick are funny, always amusing when Rupunzel takes centre stage, she would be super at Grace Brothers...

[@lisamayor7493]

Beautiful

[@jonnybottle]

Well really, Angela Rayner! Calling Rishi Sunak "a pint-sized loser"! Ad Hominem is worst of the Logical Fallacies. But she's gone one step further and invented "Ad Homunculus"!

[@aldo34]

Was totally thinking about that 8 Mile scene, risky but occasionally rewarding strategy. Get there first!

[@Welcome_The_Revolution]

She basically ‘8 miled’ him. Love to see it.

[@MarkDaykin]

Angela isn't unusual amongst the population just unusual amongst the HoC

[@fasttrack70]

The old 8 mile defence tell them all the things they were gonna say about you and give them nothing to come back 😂

[@StuartMiles74]

Lewis Goodall is excellent.

[@timothysmart8528]

You obviously watched the same PMQs as I did. It seems there was another version, which GB News reported on. In that one, Dowden won hands down!

[@grahamheathcote5914]

I love the way O'Brien bangs on about client journalists with a straight face. He's like a burglar who says he hates people who break into houses.

[@gamingwithgutz4154]

🤣🤣never thought I would see the day James O’Brian quotes 8 mile the rap battle

[@Astar-AoK]

Well done to Ms AR🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@andrewdobson813]

I love her. The Taylor Swift of PMQ's

[@dreadfullguppy19]

It's all window dressing..the real buisness of parliament takes place in Tel Aviv

[@HarkyOfficial]

Was thinking of 8 Mile throughout 😂 and how does Lewis Goodall have no clue of the epic scene.

[@MrEnagee]

He tried to make out James was talking nonsense for a sec

[@danlanch]

Love the 8 mile reference 😂

[@richardcummins5465]

Did Rayner get dressed in the dark? 😊

[@moomin7461]

Dowden reminds me of Turlough from Doctor Who. Clearly under the control of the Black Guardian 😂

[@sasserine]

Do you remember the sitcom, Game On, from 1995? He reminds me of the normal housemate (ie not Samantha Janus, or the bullshitter with PTSD), from that.

[@colintofield1377]

Rayner wipes the floor with Dowden, what a surprise, not, she is twice the person and umpteen times the politician.

[@adampaterson879]

...this is British politics - posturing and performance - outdoing each other in front of a captivated audience of jeering ministerial peers.

[@akerfeldt4068]

8 mile was exactly what I thought!

[@michaelwarner5656]

Rayner with political advisors is glorious she is a brilliant politician at the best of times but today was another level 🎉

[@jdizzle1779]

I often hear how brilliant Rayner is but i have no idea what makes her so great an mp or what shes done for the uk or her constituents. Being of a poor background is admirable but is that really all there is