PMQs 25 July 2007

And so to the last PMQs before Parliament rises for its summer break and the conference season. It'll be all the way in October before Brown and Cameron go at each other again - and I bet Cameron is relieved. It has been a shocking few weeks for the Tories and Cameron in particular. The latest revolt is coming right from the heart of the party - David Davies.

This is how the blogosphere saw it -

PMQ's Review

On the last Prime Minister's Questions before the Summer recess and both Gordon Brown and David Cameron gave strong performances; Brown does now seem to be getting the hang of PMQs.

Conservative Home

Gordon Brown demonstrates the Gentle Touch

We have a change from the Blair era of Prime Minister’s Questions.

Tony Blair used to have John Prescott on one side slouch on the bench snoring away (see below), and Gordon Brown looking like Edward Heath in a huff on the other side.

The Wardman Wire

Today’s Hero is…David Cameron,

for pressing Gordon Brown on the need for a referendum on the EU Treaty. Cameron rightly pointed out that the Irish, Spanish, Belgians, the European Commission and even the author of the Constitution, Giscard d’Estaing, ALL say that the Treaty is 90%+ exactly same as the rejected EU Constitution.

Enough is enough

Flood tourism follies

David Cameron is discovering just how far Gordon Brown is prepared to go to score political points. This afternoon the answer is Gloucester and Tewkesbury. The PM announced at PMQs that he is heading west later to see for himself how the aftermath is going.

Ben Brogan

PMQs

Did anyone else notice in the small print of Gordon Brown’s announcement regarding new security measures in PMQs today, that UK citizens will have ID cards by 2009 - in fact we will have biometric cards. Brown seems to think that this is the panacea for our security problems in the face of terrorism.

Tales from the Riverbank

The Clunking Fist Connects

To date, Cameron has got the better of Brown at PMQs but the clunking fist had some good lines today. I’d bet that this one--"The wheels are coming off the Tory bicycle; it's just as well he's got a car following him!"—will be on the news tonight. As Tony might say, clunk!

Coffee House

Live Blogging PMQs

As this is probably the third most important PMQs Cameorn has faced (behind his first with Blair and then the first with Brown - both wins for Cameron) I thought I would live blog my views on how all sides do.

Little’s Log

PMQs – The Verdict

This has been a difficult week for the Tories, and the Labour backbenchers knew it.

That David Cameron's trip to Africa while his constituency was under water was a mistake had become such accepted knowledge by Wednesday that even Rwandan journalists were questioning why he wasn't back in Witney.

The Conservative leader, who looked like he knew what was coming, had little choice but to use his first questions to tackle the flooding. Other days this might have made him look serious and consensual - but with the Labour benches in such a boisterous mood it looked like mild torture for the Tories.

epolitix

VERDICT:

Incredibly, I score it Brown going in to the recess with a clear one point lead. There was always likely to be the "Brown Bounce" in the polls, but that never meant he was going to take the "bounce" in to PMQs where it was perceived that Cameron would be the better operator. He has taken away the chance for Cameron to make headlines at PMQs by using it as a forum to announce new policies - a little bit of cheating but rather shrewd.

Today was Brown's best performance so far. It's going to be a long summer for Cameron and a far more relaxing one for Brown.

Brown 1

Cameron 0