Rochdale’s MP Paul Waugh launched an excoriating attack on the new Conservative Party Leader, Kemi Badenoch after she played down the impact of the Partygate scandal.

Speaking in a debate in the House of Commons in response to last week’s budget, Waugh highlighted the damage he believes the last Conservative government did to the country.

He singled out the direct additional costs to working people as a result of failing public services, including needing to use private medical care, damage to vehicles from poor road surfaces and increased use of taxis because of a lack of public transport.

Waugh then linked this to Badenoch’s comments over the weekend. In her first major interview since becoming the new Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch doubled down in her defence of Boris Johnson, arguing that Partygate was “overblown”.

Citing this in the Commons, Waugh linked these comments with the record of the previous 14 years, saying; “The defining image of Partygate was low paid cleaners and security staff in Number 10 having to clean up the vomit, the broken bottles, the wine stains left by an entitled few. This government is now having to clean up the financial mess the Tories have left behind and to fix the public services that they broke.”

Last week, the Chancellor announced new investment in public services including £22bn for the NHS. However critics argue that this will mean a record high tax burden. Some of those impacted by the increased taxes include the so-called non-doms, wealthy people who live in the UK but list their address overseas for tax purposes.

Parents of children at private schools, private jet owners, landlords and company bosses will also be impacted by Rachel Reeves’ raid on the wealthiest as she tries to rebuild public services impacted by austerity, Brexit, the pandemic and the Liz Truss mini budget.