PMQs 21 November 2007

Brown survives PMQs

Gordon Brown came out of that exchange better than I thought he would. He stayed calm and was actually doing very well until he tried blame the Tories, arguing that the Tory manifesto would have cut HMRC’s budget, and that gave David Cameron the opening the needed o deliver the scathing soundbite that will be replayed on the evening news.

Coffee House

Prime Ministers Questions, lost personal data fiasco.

David Cameron has just had a damn good attempt at getting Gordon Brown to accept responsibility for the lost personal data fiasco. Gordon did not do the Honourable thing, instead he thought it would be a good idea to blame the opposition. David very rightly called this attempt to deflect the blame "pathetic".

Daily Referendum

PMQs - The Verdict

Et tu, Heathcoat-Amory? The Conservative MP had the final question PMQs on Wednesday, and by using it to talk about the evils of wind farms he helped Gordon Brown off the hook. Well, up to a point. Appearing in the Commons the day after it emerged that the government had overseen a quite staggering blunder in losing the records of 25 million people from the child benefits database, Gordon Brown ought to have been pulverised by David Cameron. Yet for much of the session, and thanks finally to Heathcote-Amory, Brown was able to keep his MPs in combative spirits and avoid the pincers of the nimbler Tory leader.

ePolitix

Brown Tries Another Pathetic Smear Against Cameron

Gordon Brown should hang his head in shame. At PMQs he effectively tried to blame the Conservatives for what happened to the lost data. Cameron was right. This is not the time for the PM to play party politics.

Iain Dale

MPs Storm After Yesterday's Calm

It was one of the rowdiest PMQs for a long time, as if a dam had burst after the stunned reaction to the Chancellor's announcement yesterday. Conservative and Labour MPs were shouting and barracking the other side as Gordon Brown and David Cameron locked horns.

Glen Oglaza

The Verdict

They say that it's not the cards you're dealt but the way you play them. Well if that is the case today, Brown had been dealt a bum hand - pretty much the worse hand you can hold. Cameron on the other was holding all the aces. Unfortunately for Cameron he didn't take full advantage of his superior hand today. He could have taken Brown for all his chips, instead he let Brown fold early and while he may have won the hand, he certainly didn't clean up.

Right at the end Cameron struck Brown with some venom, which really riled him - but it was too little too late if he was going to take the two points today. Given Brown really had nothing to win from this exchange given the events of the past two days, he did exactly what we have come to expect of him - put in an average but stubborn performance. Cameron wins - but rather like last week, he really didn't take full advantage of his position.

It should be noted that Vince Cable is fast becoming the star of PMQs at the moment - unfortunately for the Lib Dems he is only go to be there for a few more weeks.

I score it:

Brown 0

Cameron 1