Another victory for Cameron at PMQs

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Another good show from Cameron and dismal one from Brown. Perhaps I’m growing too sensitised to this, but his half-truths and (in this case) outright lies really jump out at me. Cameron seemed to mock him dismissively – perhaps worse than attacking him. Here are my highlights.

Cameron started with “Bendy Wendy” and her well-documented support for a referendum on Scottish independence. “That is not what she has said,” said Brown. Cameron at least had the quote handy – though he missed out the crucial “it’s time for him to put up or shut up”. Cameron quoted her saying “’I don’t fear the verdict of the Scottish People. Bring it on” – what else could that possibly mean? It’s not leadership if no one is following him.” Anyone who has read Wee Wendy’s interview would be staggered at Brown’s blatant misrepresentation of her case. Simply incredible.

When Brown reprised his new attack line: “slick salesman”, Cameron let rip. “We all know his brilliant salesmanship, this is the man who sold gold at the bottom of the market. He has nothing to sell and he’s useless at selling it. This is the Prime Minister who went on American Idol with more make up on than Barbara Cartland. The PM who sits in No10 waiting for Shakira to call, waiting for George Clooney to come to tea. I’ve got a bit of advice for him – why doesn’t he give up the PR and start being a PM.” This was, perhaps deliberately, an inversion of an earlier Brown attack line “he can go for his big PR, and I'll get on with being PM”

Brown replies: “This is the man who tries to lecture us on presentation. Who tried to lecture us on style. Because there is no substance in any of his questions. The choice is between a government that has raised the minimum wage and a Conservative Party that opposed the minimum wage. A government that has taken a million children out of poverty and a Conservative Party that trebled poverty. 

Now, it is a lie to say one million children have been lifted out of poverty.. Even if you take Labour’s narrow definition you get to 600,000 children whose parents’ income have risen above the threshold of 60% of the median income. Rounding this up to a single digit is more than just an outrageous exaggeration. It is misleading MPs, as contrary to the Commons rules. Unless Brown can justify his figure, he should be made to come up the House to clarify and apologise.

And so the Brownies continue. When challenged on petrol prices, Brown (who has never taken his driving test) came out with this gem. “We are doing what we can to work with Opec to bring the price of oil down ”. As he said, petrol is averaging 110p a litre. But 66p of this is Treasury tax, which he could reduce in a whisker (latest AA price report here).

When asked why he took the job, Brown said ““I’m looking forward to creating more jobs in my country”. Shame the HM Treasury official forecast is for rising unemployment. And government doesn’t create jobs, the best it can do is shift them from the free economy to the state sector.

Another. Brown referred to Wendy Alexander as “the leader of the Labour Party in Scotland.” He may be surprised to know that the leader of the Labour Party in Scotland is one G.Brown. If I am familiar with this weird constitutional point, he certainly should be. Wee Wendy is just the parliamentary leader of the Labour MSPs.

David Chaytor chirped up with this line: “In Bury North there is a job for almost everyone able and willing to work.” Britain, too, has 660,000 vacancies – Labour’s problem is paying people not to do these jobs, hence Labour policies spawn worklessness. At the last count, Bury North has 1,190 on jobseekers allowance (presumable able and willing to work) plus 4,570 on incapacity benefit, 880 out-of-work lone parents on income support and a total of 8,250 on out-of-work benefits. A small fraction of the 5.2m.

In Daily Politics afterwards, the ex Scotland Office minister Brian Wilson have us his thoughts of Wendygate. A Cabinet member was on Newsnight Scotland last night, he said, and said the government was behind this. And Wendy defying her mentor Brown? As Wilson rather wonderfully put it “The plausibility of these two individuals having developed different policies on this particular subject is not strong.” I always thought Wilson (who stood down at the last election) was too good for politics.

P.S. Many were surprised last week when Cameron lead on 42 days rather than an election theme. I subsequently found out the thinking was to deny Brown a pre-election final answer which may have made the evening news.