PMQs on Progress

PMQs on Progress: Conor Ryan, Paul Richards and Hopi Sen give their views on today's session

Today's PMQs was the first of the month, coming after a January that Labour feels it managed to 'win', with Conservatives muddled on spending and tax policy. Today's session also followed Brown's speech yesterday outlining his support for a referendum on the alternative vote, stronger parliamentary select committees, and after a morning in which Tory use of crime statistics came under attack. The government also this morning published its green paper on the next Strategic Defence Review.

Joining Progress today were Conor Ryan, Paul Richards and Hopi Sen, all known in and around the world of UK political commentary. The discussion kicked off just after the end of PMQs and we ask who was the best backbencher, who made the best joke or comment, and what the ongoing implications are for policy and the general election campaign. Jacqui Smith, Jamie Reed and Crispin Blunt win mentions for their contributions, while Cameron may just have pipped Brown thanks to a dash of mockery.

Adam Harrison: So, who won? And who or what would you nominate as best backbencher, question or comment?

Conor Ryan: A draw on defence, Cameron was sharper on AV. Brown's best lines were outside the Cameron exchange - the ‘eight minutes past 12' line for example. He should have worked Tory dither into the defence funding exchange better.

Best backbencher - Jacqui Smith on Chris Grayling's dodgy crime stats being caught bang to rights

Hopi Sen: I thought it was - for the first time in a while - a clear victory for Cameron.

That said, with weeks of Tory policy announcements, it was interesting that Cameron felt the need to avoid all mention of his own policy agenda and return to what must feel the much safer ground of being rude about Gordon Brown. That's a sign of weakness, even though he won in the chamber.

However, more importantly, what I think we saw today was the danger of the Chilcot Inquiry for the government - Tory after Tory popped up quoting dissatisfied generals, to good effect. That will play well in the media tomorrow.

The danger for the Tories, as Liam Fox must surely be aware, is that the Conservatives have very little room to offer more to the armed forces. How they are going to square that circle will be interesting to watch. If I were Labour strategist I'd be looking to put pressure on there.

Best backbencher - I'd go for Jamie Reed, who both elected the best line of the session from the PM, and hit an important point for his own constituency.

Though an honourable mention goes to Crispin Blunt, who was far stronger on defence than his leader.

Paul Richards: PMQs is developing into a rehearsal for the election. Both sides are up for it. Both leaders trying out slogans and looking for their opponent's weaknesses. I think this week was a score draw, with good performances from both Brown and Cameron. Brown struck home with his charges of the Tories being in a muddle over policy.

Cameron also got a laugh for quoting the Ashdown diaries.

The Tories hope that Chilcot will expose the prime minister. On today's evidence, it won't work because Brown can point to rising defence expenditure, compared to Tory cuts,

The question of the day was from Jacqui Smith, pointing to the Tories' fiddled figures in violent crime.

Joke of the day: Brown suggesting a emergency cabinet to discuss the cancellation of the number 41 bus in Birmingham.

AH: On AV and constitutional reform, was this an opportunity missed by Brown to showcase them?

HS: Missed opportunity? More a clever attempt by the Tories to promote cynicism.

Cameron's position on reform is, as the PM, pointed out, pretty reactionary. He talks nicely, but what he actually proposes is meaningless (or part of a hidden struggle for partisan advantage). So his objective is to drag attempts at reform down to that same level - and mockery and accusations of hypocrisy are vital to that.

I wondered, though, what the Lib Dems made of Cameron's passionate defence of FPTP. That might end up rebounding on Cameron.

CR: I think there is a danger that the defence issue could be difficult for Labour, both on Iraq and on priorities. I think Nick Clegg will win some support for his arguments that money spent on Trident renewal would be better spent at the frontline - outside naval constituencies, this isn't the issue it was in the eighties. Of course, that wouldn't satisfy the generals, but it might be more credible publicly.

I'm not sure Brown missed the opportunity to showcase AV. He was always going to be vulnerable with his own past opposition to voting reform. Cameron scored with the quote from the Ashdown diaries, and Brown really needed sharper lines on Cameron's lack of support for reform, linking it to their general muddle at the moment. This wasn't the place to win a constitutional reform debate!

HS: Just on that point on defence- I agree it's damaging - dropping Trident is an easy debating point.

Whenever Clegg stands up and says "the world has moved on from the Cold war - dump Trident", I want the PM to say "The decision on Trident, is a decision for the next thirty years". As he says, the world will look very different then than it does today. None of us can be sure exactly how. So because we don't know what threats we'll face, we should not lightly throw away a future government's ability to defend Britain.

03 Feb 2010 13:52

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• Posted by Andy Ray on 04 February 2010, 3:31:23 AM Hopi Sen’s suggested prompt for Brown justifying Trident on future uncertainty ground may be used by any paranoid country -- Venezuela, Iran, North Korea -- facing even more uncertainty than UK.