Labour leadership candidate Yvette Cooper praised Theresa May's "cool shoes" today, before moving on to mock the home secretary for reportedly wanting to become leader of the Conservative Party.
Speaking in the House of Commons today, the shadow home secretary conceded she would rather be sat on the other side of the Commons - on the government benches.
"Before I turn to the substance, let me first congratulate the home secretary on her reappointment to a great office of state," she said.
Cooper said it was no secret that she had wanting be standing in May's shoes, adding this was not because the home secretary "usually wears such particularly cool shoes".
David Cameron has announced he will step down as Tory leader at some point before 2020. May, along with Boris Johnson and George Osborne, is seen as a likely successor.
Cooper told MPs today of May: "She and I have more in common than most people realise. After all we are both running leadership campaigns in our parties. Even if I'm the only one who admits it."
May, sitting opposite, shook her head.
Cooper also made fun of reported tensions between May and Michael Gove, who was moved from his position as chief whip to justice secretary in the new government.
"I wish her the best of luck," she said of May's Tory leadership ambitions. "Given the expression on the justice secretary’s face I fear she will need it.
"This time she and the justice secretary have to take responsibility. And they are going to have to work together to sort it out.
"I bet that will be fun for them. And I bet she was pleased at his appointment. Perhaps the only person in Government that could make her relationship with the former deputy prime minister look good.
"Last summer the justice secretary told friends the home secretary was 'dull and uninspiring'. She said he was a 'a wild-eyed neo-con'. He said she 'lacks the intellectual firepower and quick wits'.
"No wonder they want to abolish the right to free speech.
"Though you can understand the poor old prime minister, desperate to find the justice secretary a job he could actually do. He clearly couldn’t stay at Education – he upset the entire teaching profession and lost so many teachers votes. He clearly couldn’t stay as chief whip – he upset all his backbenchers and lost rather a lot of parliamentary votes.
She added: "At least as justice secretary it doesn’t matter how many prisoners he upsets – they haven’t got votes for him to lose."
Cooper is running against Andy Burnham, Liz Kendall and Mary Creagh to succeed Ed Miliband as Labour leader.