Labour MPs feast on Osborne absence but Jezza fails to dine on IDS row

THE comrades were itching to have a go.

After months of bruisings over Labour’s strife, it was now time for the socialist benches to revel in some Tory turmoil.

Last week the Commons Speaker kindly allowed Labour an urgent Commons question on Gove, Brexit and the Queen. This week he lent a hand once again by granting a question on disability benefit cuts and the Chancellor’s swift U-turn.

But George Osborne decided not to show up.

Labour MPs cried “where is he?” and “frit” as the Chancellor’s colleague David Gauke was wheeled out to become the fairground target and, as John McDonnell noted, to “defend the indefensible”.

But the urgent question was only the hors d’oeuvre as the top Tory toff delivered the main course with a statement about Europe’s worst refugee crisis since WW2.

Dave was defiant and repeatedly said that the Tories would have a “civilised” conversation on Europe. He rolled off policies which, he insisted, showed he remained the leader of a “modern, compassionate, one nation Conservative Government”.

Jezza rolled his eyes after having attacked the Budget with a big £4 billion hole in it but failed to mention Iain Duncan Smith.

The dessert was provided by Stephen Crabb, the new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who had the unenviable task of confirming the botched Budget and said too often ministers forgot that the statistics they bandied about represented real people.

But then he raised a few eyebrows by telling MPs that after a weekend chinwag with Dave and George they had decided further welfare savings would be shelved.

The Treasury later clarified matters saying that there were just no plans for further cuts. But it looked like Crabb was telling the Chancellor – hands off and look for cuts elsewhere.

Today’s offering? Osborne will have to save face by giving career-saving performance at the despatch box.