PMQs is frequently derided as something that is only of interest to the Westminster Village. That may be true but it helps frame the way that political reporters and commentators see the battle between the parties and plays a crucial role in determining the mood of the parliamentary parties.
This week’s clash will be one of the most important in a while. The consensus in Westminster is that Cameron’s speech today was too small for the moment—though, it is worth noting that the Standard’s write up is positive and the odd conversation about it that I’ve overheard on the train to the north that I’m on has been fairly warm about it—and if Brown is perceived to school Cameron at PMQs then the Brown comeback narrative will gain further momentum. However if Cameron manages to land some blows on Brown in what will be their first full-blooded encounter since the financial crisis started, the story-line could change.
Brown’s apparent revival and the reorganisation of the Labour’s whips office has ensured that the Labour benches are far louder than they have been for a while. Cameron needs to quiet them down on Wednesday if he is going to burst Brown’s bubble.
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