A Cabinet minister insisted she was not referring to a Tory MP’s appearance after labelling him a “blob activist” over his Civil Service concerns.
Commons Leader Lucy Powell said she was “misinterpreted” as she hurriedly clarified the intended meaning of her remark during a series of light-hearted exchanges with Sir John Hayes.
Ms Powell said she meant to suggest Sir John was against the “blob”, a term used by some Conservative MPs to suggest civil servants were obstructive in implementing government policy.
The Labour frontbencher added to MPs: “Perhaps that joke should have been referred to one of the prospective leaders of the, oh no, no, I won’t go any further.”
The comment appeared to be a nod to Robert Jenrick, the Conservative leadership hopeful who shed four stone with the help of the weight-loss drug Ozempic.
Former minister Sir John, MP for South Holland and The Deepings, had told Ms Powell that outside bodies such as the Environment Agency, Network Rail and the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) are increasingly being mentioned in Commons debates.
He told business questions in the Commons: “None are elected, none are accountable to the people we serve, we don’t really know who they are.
“So, can we have a debate on the increasing blob activism which threatens the separation of powers?
“We know about judicial activism, this kind of activism is just as dangerous because these bodies wield immense power and ministers elected to govern should not be stymied, hampered, cowed or chastised by people with no democratic legitimacy.”
Ms Powell replied: “Well-known as a blob activist himself.”
As MPs groaned and laughed in response, Ms Powell added: “I don’t mean it that way. Against the blob, against the blob is what I meant, sorry to be misinterpreted.”
Conservative MP Sir John Hayes was referred to as a ‘blob activist’ (Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament)
Ms Powell started laughing as she tried to complete her reply to Sir John, adding: “I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean it.”
Sir John intervened to raise a point of order, saying to further laughter: “I think the leader needs a few moments to calm down.”
Ms Powell thanked Sir John for the extra time to compose herself before saying: “Perhaps that joke should have been referred to one of the prospective leaders of the, oh no, no, I won’t go any further.”
Ms Powell added: “I think what (Sir John) is referring to are some very important independent financial institutions which I think offer this country the financial stability that it’s renowned for around the world.
“When we ignore those institutions, as his previous prime minister Liz Truss did, we see who pays the heaviest price for that, so I think they play a very important role.
“But he’s right, they should be accountable to Parliament and it’s my expectation that these bodies do regularly appear before select committees.”