Jeremy Corbyn has hit out at Theresa May in the same way that David Cameron used to mock Gordon Brown.

At Prime Minister’s Questions, the Labour leader attacked his rival, saying: “Every day the prime minister dithers over this chaotic Brexit… When will she come up with a plan?”

Corbyn appears to have picked up the baton from Sadiq Khan, who recently accused the prime minister of “dither and delay” over new runway plans. But his team are also hoping to pick up where Cameron left off in 2010.

Back in 2007, Brown opened himself up to accusations of dithering when he considered holding an early election, refused to dampen down speculation and then finally announced there would not be an early election after all.

Over the next few years, the Tories accused Brown of dithering at every opportunity, with then communications chief Andy Coulson orchestrating the assault.

“If dithering was an Olympic sport he would have a gold medal,” said Cameron in 2008.

By 2010 Brown had variously been accused of dithering over whether to release the Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, whether to meet the Dalai Lama, whether to expand Heathrow, whether to take part in a TV election debate… and whether to reveal his favourite biscuit.

Labour insiders expect the D-bomb to be dropped on many more occasions over the next few weeks and months.

And if May is found to be guilt of dithering it will not be the only thing she has in common with Brown.

Commentators have already compared May to Brown, pointing to her attempts to differentiate from a flashy predecessor, her inability to delegate, the premium she places on loyalty and the fact that her father was a clergyman.