Prime Minister's questions, 4th June 2008

Wednesday lunchtime. Quite a crowd in the Board Room for Prime Minister’s Questions. Some of them just wandered in with their sandwiches and Ribena, not knowing what was going to be on the television (perhaps expecting Jeremy Kyle), but Alan and myself wanted pmqs, and Terry leaned against the open doorway, watching.

Gasps from Aine when David Cameron appeared (“Look at his hair - it’s bizarre”).

Fierce exchange between David Cameron and Gordon Brown on the subject of Road Tax. David Cameron got the best of the argument, with several (apparently) off-the-cuff jokes (ie Gordon Brown made a jibe about David Cameron riding a bike to the House of Commons with his official car following immediately behind, to which David Cameron replied “It’s not my backbenchers who are telling me to get on my bike”). Interestingly, if you play the whole Cameron-Brown exchange without sound, the Prime Minister’s body language was almost perfect, which suggests his problems lie in vocal delivery.

The Speaker was unusually belligerent, telling people off to his left and his right.

“Look at all the red ties” said Alan disapprovingly when the camera showed the Labour benches.

The Liberal Democrat leader complained that the government was continually passing laws which are never enforced (echoing the Today Programme this morning which reported abuse in care homes for the elderly going unpunished because the existing laws are not enforced).

Boris Johnson, retiring MP for Henley, asked his last House of Commons question, with Gordon Brown very gracious to him in reply.

Most important question (in my opinion) was asked by Dr Howard Stoate about alcohol advertising in sport - the Prime Minister just said it would be the subject of a “review”.

Space on the government front bench seemed unusually cramped so that Ed Balls (Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families) was bunched up between Ruth Kelly and a minister you never quite saw in toto. When the camera was at a particular angle you could see that all the time the Prime Minister was speaking Ed Balls was nodding and smiling and talking to his neighbours. The sight seemed so familiar I thought I was experiencing déjà vu, until I remembered the episode of The World At War I watched last night, which showed Herman Goering in the dock at Nuremberg.

Right at the end came the usual sycophantic question from a backbench supporter of the government. I forget who asked the question, but in the row behind you could see the big head of Peter Hain. The expression on Peter Hain’s head was one of bemused disbelief (as if he were silently saying “what planet is this man on?”).



Above: Ed Balls (centre) was nodding and smiling and talking to his neighbours.

You can see the full exchange (lasts half an hour): http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page15633.asp