Business of the House

Nick Smith Excerpts

Thursday 13th February 2020 Commons Chamber

[Mr Rees-Mogg]

I have the greatest admiration for taxi drivers. Disraeli called the London cab “the gondola of London”, and we should think of our taxi drivers as the gondoliers of London—not that they usually sing to us, but they send us merrily along our way with their incisive and well-informed conversation. [Laughter.] Well, I often find that I am in agreement with them—that is why I think their conversation is so well-informed and incisive. We should of course not bear down on them unduly with regulation—although I believe that the regulation that London taxis have to keep hay in their boot is no longer applicable.

[Nick Smith (Blaenau Gwent) (Lab)]

Can we have a statement on the surprising news that the Chancellor of the Exchequer has been sacked?

[Mr Rees-Mogg]

The hon. Gentleman is ahead of me on the news cycle.