Boris and his bros hold their own against Starmer and the sisterhood

At the final PMQS before next week’s local elections, an excitable, knockabout atmosphere prevailed. Packed into their stalls, the Tory attack-dogs bayed encouragingly as the Prime Minister bestrode the Dispatch Box in truculent

Bullingdon style, lacking only the club’s notorious primrose yellow waistcoat. In the wake of Rayner-gate, Sir Keir Starmer opened hostilities with a lecture on the iniquities of sexism – “in this House, or in modern Britain”. As if to ram home the point, he was surrounded by a sea of female MPS – “binders full of women”, in the immortal words of Mitt Romney.

Meanwhile, the PM, facing questions about Tory misogyny, had stuffed his front bench with a team of bros – Mark Jenkinson and Dominic Raab on one flank, Brandon Lewis and Nadhim Zahawi on the other. If Starmer’s gender-ratio was that of the Playboy Mansion, the PM’S looked closer to the Fellowship of the Rings or a Judd Apatow buddy movie. The laddish vibe was heightened by the news that one foolhardy (and so far unnamed) Tory MP had chosen today of all days to be accused of watching porn on his phone, reportedly while sitting in the front row of the Commons.

The Leader of the Opposition’s one-liners were the usual mixed bag of zingers and clangers. He was effective when clobbering the PM on the cost of living crisis – his backbenchers cheered his every utterance and bowed their heads like reverential nodding dogs. “This week, millions will look at their payslip and see a tax rise with [the PM’S] fingerprints all over it”, seethed Sir Keir. “Yeaaaah!” they roared, dutifully.

Boris Johnson stuck to bragging about how wonderfully everything was going – and reverted to two favourite lines of attack – “Captain Hindsight” and Labour’s economic record when last in office (2010).

Perhaps to put clear blue water between him and the Corbynistas, Starmer hurled back a Blair-era insult. “He sounds like the Comical Ali of the cost of living crisis,” he sniggered.

Behind him, one of the sisterhood let out a Cruella-like cackle that reverberated through the Chamber.

While summing up, Starmer adopted a solemn tone. These council elections were no mere referendum on who collects the bins – a vote for Labour would herald a new era of tax justice – a windfall levy on gas and oil firms, an end to global tax avoidance loopholes, home insulation and much more.

Having put in a fairly patchy performance so far, the PM kept his powder dry until the end of the session, landing a few last-minute body-blows on spendthrift local government. “Labour-run Hammersmith … spent £27,000 on EU flags Mr Speaker,” he boomed. “Labour-run Croydon … bankrupt!” All of this drew howls of delight from his benches, even an unexpected giggle from Theresa May. Despite the predicted bloodbath next week, the clamour from the Tory pack suggests Johnson may still be in the hunt.