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

PMQs 18th July 2007

PMQs - Brown v Cameron Round 3
The three main party leaders concentrated on domestic affairs at PMQs. David Cameron used all six of his questions on the Prisoner Early Release Scheme started by the government this May. Sir Menzies Campbell raised the latest Rowntree Report on British Poverty.
Adam Boulton

PMQs - The verdict
Ending the practice of unveiling government policy to the papers has stolen the thunder of the Sunday press, with one of their number telling ePolitix.com after prime minister's questions - "we are screwed." Rather than giving the papers the chance to break the news on policy Gordon Brown has instead decided to use PMQs to announce changes in direction, from a U-turn on supercasinos last week to the announcement this week on rethinking drugs policy.
Edward Davie- epolitix

Super casinos. Cannabis. What gets dumped next?
He gets asked questions at PMQs, so he answers them." Thus Gordon Brown's spokesman when asked if we can expect the jettisoning of Blair policies to become a weekly event in the Commons. Last week it was supercasinos, today it was cannabis. Technically, Mr Brown has called for a review of the classification, but there's no doubt what he wants the conclusion of the review to be. He's been persuaded by the mounting body of evidence showing everything from the link between cannabis use and mental illness to the growth in organised criminal gangs.
Ben Brogan

Prime minister's questions - live
Just two more sessions of PMQs to go before MPs put on their bathing trunks, pack their buckets and spades and head off for the seaside. And not before time, in what's been a pretty exhausting parliamentary session, topped by a change of prime minister.
Matthew Tempest

VERDICT:
Brown held his own today - nothing spectatcular, but he is growing in confidence - though he still has the odd stutter and waivering voice. He played a good, straight bat against Cameron's attempts to admit failure in areas such as early release of prisoners. Cameron must be looking forward to the recess, he is not quite hitting the mark like he was a few months ago.

Brown 1

Cameron 0

PMQs July 11th 2007

Andrew Alexander (ePolitix)
Some surprise at this week's PMQs, as while pencils were being sharpened to mark up the Brown/Cameron scorecard the prime minister chose to drop in what sounded like a fairly significant policy U-turn.

Iain Dale
This was a more confident, competent performance from Gordon Brown in his second outing as PMQs. I thought his joust with David Cameron was a score draw, although Brown did have a good line about Cameron focussing on PR, while he focussed on being PM. That was rather countered when he referred to Ming Campbell as the Leader of the Opposition. In his dreams!

Kerron Cross
Back to serious matters for a rare change, can I just say a heart-felt well done to Gordon Brown for announcing a rethink on the future of Super Casinos at PMQs today.

Man in a shed

As David Cameron has said there is no reason why Scotland could not prosper as an independent nation. Personally I think we're better of together, but not under the coercion that many in Scotland feel.

Dizzy Thinks

PMQs is on right now and Gordon Brown has just made a startling admission if I heard it right. He said that "A&E have 5000 more attendence each year because of our investment". I always knew extra public spending could be dangerous but I never realised it actually caused people to need hospital treatment. A brave display of honesty from our Prime Minister.

VERDICT:

Not much in it - pretty dull PMQs today. Gone are the great Blair ringmaster days I fear.

Brown 0.5

Cameron 0.5