Deputy Prime Minister Louise Haigh's debut performance deputizing for Andy Burnham at Prime Minister's Questions was met with criticism from commentator Quentin Letts.
Letts, writing for the Daily Mail, described Haigh as having a "criminal record" and "plotted to insert Mr Burnham... as Prime Minister." He questioned whether she would display "nonchalant menace" or "streetwise, deploying an artful dodger’s repartee." However, he concluded that her performance was "disappointingly tinny" and that she was "so softly spoken that in the tumult of the chamber she was hard to hear."
He contrasted her performance unfavorably with that of Angela Rayner, a former deputy PM, noting that Rayner "sat on the front bench and stayed almost entirely immobile" but "always incident, laughter and a sense of impetus" when she performed at PMQs.
Haigh was accompanied by Chancellor John Healey, whom Letts described as hovering "in the manner of a solicitor guarding his young client." She clutched her ministerial file, which Letts likened to "Uncle Dick."
During the session, Haigh was questioned by Alex Burghart, who Letts noted was "well at home" at the despatch box, unlike the "quivering Ms Haigh." Burghart asked about the government's spending on working-age welfare, a question Letts called "deadly."
Letts's commentary suggested a stark difference in style and impact between Haigh and her predecessor, Rayner. He noted that Haigh's attempts at humor received "sparse laughter" and her remarks about the government's commitment to reducing the benefits bill drew glum faces from Labour MPs. Burghart's pointed questions about the government's ten-year plan and Haigh's insistence that benefits would be cut "in a Labour way" elicited laughter from the opposing side.
The Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, reportedly admonished a backbench Tory for heckling, stating, "I don’t think it looks good trying to shout a woman down." Letts speculated that the Speaker may have noticed Haigh struggling.
Letts also noted the presence of a delegation from the Ivory Coast and humorously recounted Sir Lindsay's attempt to announce their arrival. He concluded with a brief observation on the improved attire of Government Chief Whip Anneliese Midgley.