Deputy Speaker Nus Ghani has been accused of ‘pre–scripting’ her putdowns of Tory heckles at last week’s Budget – to boost her profile and chances of succeeding Sir Lindsay Hoyle.
Tory MP Ms Ghani won plaudits for ‘witty’ quips about rowdy MPs during Chancellor John Healey’s speech – including telling shadow energy minister and former GP Luke Evans to ‘write yourself a prescription to calm down’.
However, the senior Deputy Speaker faced claims yesterday that she had composed the putdowns in advance, and even hinted to one MP that she would be telling him off during the debate.
Critics privately accused her of making the moves to impress the Commons and improve her chances of becoming Speaker when Sir Lindsay steps down.
One senior Tory MP told The Mail on Sunday: ‘It was also pretty obvious that some of Nus’s witty responses were pre–scripted before the event.
‘I know at least one colleague who was told by her beforehand that he was ‘on my list’ for a potential Budget rebuke.’
Ghani attracted attention for her humorous responses to MPs heckling Chancellor John Healey’s Budget speech
Allies of Ms Ghani dismissed the claims. Sir Lindsay, who became Speaker in 2019, is expected to serve for at least ten years before standing down.
But allies of Ms Ghani, who has a slender 6,842 majority in her Sussex Weald seat, suggest she would like to succeed him before a general election – as sitting Speakers normally go unchallenged in their constituencies.
Ms Ghani could not be reached last night. But Dr Evans and other MPs rebuked by her insisted that they had no prior knowledge they were going to be told off.
