Philip Hammond has used his first autumn statement as chancellor to take a jab at his opposite number, suggesting he could swap the soap box for the dance floor.
Addressing the Commons today, Mr Hammond jibed that shadow chancellor John McDonnell had managed to outdo even Ed Balls “in the fiscally-incontinent stakes”.
The line was met with laughter from the Conservative benches and jeers from the opposition.
He added: “What we don’t know is whether he can also dance.
“He can? Good. A second career awaits him.”
The light-hearted comments game in a statement where Mr Hammond announced that Governmnet borrowing would hit £68.2billion this year and £59billion next year.
The figures will make for stark reading compared with March’s forecast of £55.5billion and £38.8billion respectively.
‘Can he dance?’ Hammond suggests Shadow Chancellor should follow in Ed Ball’s strictly footsteps
