'Scandals, too much Matt Hancock and even tractor porn': Rayner says 'enough is enough' to Tories

25 September 2022, 12:28 | Updated: 25 September 2022, 15:01

Angela Rayner has said the last four years have been filled with scandals, "far too much Matt Hancock" and "even tractor porn" as she said Britain has seen enough of the Tories.

Labour's bombastic deputy leader listed a litany of problems she said the Conservatives had made Britain endure.

She spoke at the start of Labour’s party conference in Liverpool, where Sir Keir Starmer is hoping to seize the initiative against Liz Truss following her controversial mini-budget on Friday.

Ms Rayner rubbished the Conservatives' record since her party last met in Liverpool.

"Three different leaders, a catalogue of sleaze, waste and lies, Cummings, Paterson and Pincher backed to the hilt," she told members.

"Chris Grayling. Grant Shapps. And too much Matt Hancock, far too much Matt Hancock.

"Green cards and non-doms, treehouses and even tractor porn. Breaking the law - in a specific and limited way.

"Queues at the airports. Chaos at the borders. Mountains of PPE unfit for use. Billions in fraud written off.

"Sewage in the rivers. A Prime Minister hiding in a fridge. Three sleaze watchdogs out in the cold. The Barnard Castle eye test.

"The Downing Street crime scene. Broken swings, wine stains, sick on the walls. 126 fines - more than anywhere else in the country.

"Rules made. Rules broken. Partygate. Wallpapergate. Too many gates. Too little, too late mate.

"And now a prime minister who says people don’t work hard enough. Well, enough is enough."

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She followed a smooth start to the party conference for Sir Keir. Despite protestations from sections of the party, including former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, God Save the King was sung at the start of the conference, followed by a round of applause.

He said: "Conference, as we enter a new era, let's commit to honouring the late Queen's memory. Let's turn up our collar up and face the storm, keep alive the spirit of public service she embodied and let it drive us towards a better future.

"For 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II stood as head of our country, but, in spirit, she stood amongst us."

The Labour conference comes just days after the controversial mini-budget given by Kwasi Kwarteng.

The chancellor outlined a number of tax cuts, including the abolition of the top bracket of income tax, which Labour has already committed to reversing - while welcoming the lowering of the bottom bracket to 19p per pound.