And so it returns. The first PMQs of 2009 will be covered live by Coffee House here. Stay tuned from 1200…
1204: Here we go. First question from Liz Blackman [LAB], on small businesses – “Can the PM assure me that the help announced today will be focussed at those businesses who need it most”. Brown replies in the affirmative. Naturally.
1207: Punchy start from Cameron: “Planted question; stolen policy!” First question is one Cameron asked a few times last year: “Will the PM now admit that he was wrong to abolish boom and bust”. He says “boom” as “bost”, which slightly diminishes the impact, and Brown replies with “This is a global problem … no one in the world is copying the Tory approach … cuts … investment.” etc.
1210: Cameron: “You say that no-one’s copying us, when you’ve just copied out policy on unemployment”. Cameron’s on good form. Asks why people should have confidence in Brown given his past prognoses. Brown straight-bats the question with his usual “do nothing” claims.
1212: A taste of things to come? Brown refers to Ken Clarke’s “support” for cutting VAT as a repsonse to the downturn. Straight out of the Mandelson copy-book – who’s been stirring up mischief over Clarke’s views on Europe.
1213: Cameron tries to reverse the international attack: “There is no other country cutting 2.5 percent off VAT”. Goes through testimonies of company heads saying that the cut hasn’t done anything for the economy. Effective stuff from Cameron – the aim is to portray Brown as an “achieve nothing” PM.
1216: Cameron develops the attack; listing Brown’s responses to the downturn and claiming that they’re not working. Calls Brown a “headless chicken”, as he did yesterday. Brown: “They are a do nothing party”. Yawn.
1219: And here’s Clegg. “Why is the PM playing copycat with the leader of the Conservatives, when he should be playing hardball with the banks?”
1220: Clegg: “Here’s what he should do. He should stop telling the banks to horde cash and lend it out at the same time…”. Brown says he’s monitoring – “every week” – the banks that the state effectively controls. Things have gone a bit subdued.
1223: Brown repeats call for ceasefire in Gaza.
1225: Brown: “I’m sorry the Tories couldn’t support our opportunities White Paper – they’ll just cut funding to services…”. The “Tory cuts” attack really is cropping up a lot today.
1227: Nigel Griffiths gives Brown an opportunity to “welcome” Barack Obama as President. Predictably, Brown says how he’s looking forward to working with Obama.
1229: Questions on Heathrow, food standards and hospitals.
1231: Brown goes investment-crazy: “We’re investing £10 billion more next year in public investment…”. The “Tory cuts” attack raises its head again.
1232: Brown: “I’ll say again; there are no plans [for an early election]”
1233: Remember how David Cameron exploited Ed Balls’s “So what?!” moment? Brown tries to repeat the trick by motioning over at Tories, and saying “They laugh when we talk about the car industry”. Doubt it will stick.
1235: And that’s it. Verdict coming up shortly.
PMQs VERDICT: Cameron came out on top today. His central charge that the Government’s policies just aren’t easing the economic crisis was well made, and will be supported as things continue to go downhill throughout 2009. By contrast, Brown floundered and could only push out the “Tory cuts” line, time after time after time. Sometimes the technique shields him from the Tory leader’s attacks, but today it all seemed a little too stale. Clegg was alright – but lacking the fire of recent weeks, when he’s stuck up for low-income earners.
Comments