Thérèse Coffey roasts Neil Coyle

Parliament’s work and pensions committee isn’t normally where the fireworks fly, but all that changed this morning. Labour backbencher Neil ‘Carling’ Coyle tried to take a pop at Thérèse Coffey, the closest thing 2022 has to a modern Barbara Castle. After Coyle became frustrated with the answers he was getting from the karaoke-loving Cabinet minister, he turned his attention to Coffey’s own future, irritatedly asking her:

There was a rumour that the Secretary of State was going to resign. Is that the reason why you can’t answer any questions today? Because you’ve got one foot out of the door?

Cool as a cucumber, Coffey delivered a magisterial rebuke to the Bermondsey backbencher:

Don’t be ridiculous Neil. If you want to bring up gossip, I could bring up other stuff that happened downstairs.

This has widely been interpreted as a subtle dig at Coyle’s antics in a parliamentary bar last Monday when Mr S and half of the Westminster press pack saw him scream expletives at Craig Williams MP and told him to lose some weight.