VERDICT: A more evenly-matched PMQs that we have been used to, with both leaders parrying and thrusting to some effect. Miliband’s chosen topic — the NHS — was a
surprise, particularly given today’s unemployment figures and the persistent flurry of bad news from abroad. Yet it did open up a clear divide between him and Cameron. On one side, the Labour
leader claiming that the the coalition is taking undue risks with a beloved health system. On the other, the PM painting Miliband as Brown Mark II, a roadblock to reform and change. Neither side
really won, or lost, the argument today, but you can expect them to return to it in future. Much as you can expect the NO2AV campaign to return to that Ben Bradshaw quotation, so artfully
highlighted by Bernard Jenkin, again and again and again.
1233: And that’s it. My short verdict soon.
1229: A timely question the Tory MP Damian Collins, who asks whether Cameron agrees that nuclear power should be an important part of our energy make-up in future. Cameron agrees
— highlighting that British plants are of a different design to those in Japan, and on more stable ground — but not without that caveat that there are “concerns” that the
nuclear agencies will look into.
1227: Cameron says that it is more important to look beyond just poverty itself — and towards its underlying causes, and the “life chances” afforded to the least well off.
Very true.
1225: AV again — and it’s a cracker from Bernard Jenkin. He quotes a politician arguing against vociferously AV some years ago, for the reason that it entrenches majorities. And the politician in question? The man in charge of Labour’s Yes to AV campaign, Ben Bradshaw. Even Bradshaw can’t help himself laughing. The rest of the House, and particularly the anti-AV quarters, are roaring in delight.
1224: Cameron admits that, as Fraser pointed out earlier, an “unofficial” British rescue team was sent away from Japan. He adds that the FCO is working to get them the paperwork they need.
1222: Wry question on AV, which asks whether ticketholders for the Olympic Games would be happy if last-placed athletes still finished on the medals podium. Cameron smiles, and
agrees that AV ought to be voted down. I wonder whether Nick Clegg will tell him that he’s talking “complete bilge” this week.
1221: The PM is enjoying using the “roadblock” charge against Ed Miliband. Again, he suggests that Labour are opposed to all change.
1219: Cameron calling Obama, Cameron calling Obama: “If, at the end of this, Gaddafi is still in place, then it sends a terrible message.”
1218: Cameron is in swashbuckling form today. Referring to the PIGS, he refers sarcastically to Labour’s “genius plan” to half the deficit across four years — “that would get us, in four years, to where Portugal is now. What an excellent plan!”
1215: The SNP’s Angus Robertson is the first MP to raise today’s unemployment figures. Cameron uses his answer to shift onto fuel prices, which he must have expected from Ed Miliband. “Labour raised fuel prices seven times,” he points out, “I’m surprised they didn’t have the brass neck to mention it today.”
1212: But Cameron is equally stoked up. He effectively declares war against the BMA by highlighting their persistent opposition to NHS reforms, from foundation hospitals to extended GP hours. His final point is scathing: “Is there a union that [Miliband] won’t agree with?”
1210: Miliband is standing firm today, and the Labour benches are delighted with it. “I’m proud of Labour’s record on the NHS he says,” before listing — Brown-like — their achievements in office. Cameron just isn’t answering the questions, he says, with the patronising aside, “Does he even understand?”
1208: Good line from Cameron: “We are not reorganising the bureaucracy of the NHS. We are abolishing the bureaucracy of the NHS.” He adds — in reference to Gordon Brown’s status as the “roadblock to reform” — that Miliband is the “Son of Roadblock”.
1207: Roars from the Labour benches as Milband attacks Cameron for his “pre-scripted answers”. Cameron has already chided Miliband for his “pre-scripted questions.” This is already a fiery, combative session.
1206: Slightly surprising from Miliband, as he leads on the NHS. “Will there be any more amendments [to the Bill],” he asks, “after the Lib Dem conference?” Cameron doesn’t really say yes or no, but he is defiant: highlighting Labour waste.
1204: Malcolm Rifkind urges Cameron to act over Libya, along the lines of his recent article for the Times. On the specific point of whether Egyptian troops should be dispatched the the country the keep the peace, the PM responds that “there isn’t a peace to keep at the moment.”
1201: A weary-sounding Cameron gets proceedings off to a start. Alongside condolences for the fallen, he pays tribute to the town of Wooton Bassett — which will no longer host the repatriation of our troops. The town will have the prefix “Royal” added to its name later this year.
Stay tuned for live coverage from 1200.
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