Prime Minister's Questions, 8th October 2008

Above: Number 10 Downing Street, home of the Prime Minister (photo taken before the scaffolding went up.

I timed my lunchtime today so that I could watch the return of Prime Minister’s Questions live from the House of Commons.

Over the summer parliamentary recess Prime Minister Gordon Brown has experienced challenges to his leadership, turmoil in the financial markets, and plummeting polls.

The current economic crisis has led to many commentators saying that Gordon Brown and his party may yet escape electoral annihilation if they can steer the country through to safety (this is not borne out by history – Winston Churchill led the nation to safety and yet he was rejected by the electorate in the following general election).

Prime Minister’s Questions began with the usual dismal litany of British casualties in Afghanistan so that I was reminded of the BBC3 documentary last night about Lance Corporal Jack Mizon (who stated bluntly that Afghanistan was the last place anyone would want to die).

The economic situation dominated the questions. Labour former minister Gerald Kaufman attacked the financial “fat cats” who had caused the problems. With enthusiasm MPs cheered this statement (for it was a statement rather than a question) entirely ignoring their own “fat cat” status.

Leader of the Opposition David Cameron asked about the role of the Bank of England in controlling levels of debt. Gordon Brown adroitly sidestepped the question. Beside David Cameron Shadow Chancellor George Osborne looked at the government benches with a sustained expression of incredulity, as if thinking: are this lot still here?

Nick Clegg, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, said that in this time of national emergency he would not accuse Gordon Brown of steering the ship of state into an iceberg (thus implicitly making that accusation – Gordon Brown almost growled in response, but did not rise to the bait).

Labour MP Paul Flynn asked (rhetorically, since he cannot have expected an answer) when the war in Afghanistan would end – a war that at least one military expert has said is unwinnable.

Conservative MP Angela Watkinson told the Prime Minister that she was disgusted at the high interest rates the banks were charging small businesses – not sure which constituency Angela Watkinson represents but it ought to be Tunbridge Wells from the practiced way she said the word “disgusted”.

Conservative MP Stephen Hammond asked about the level of public borrowing, but Gordon Brown evaded giving an answer.

Labour MP Christine McCafferty asked about protecting jobs in the Halifax area following the collapse of the Halifax-Bank of Scotland (this is almost certainly a veiled warning to the government not to let the main burden fall in Yorkshire while protecting jobs in Scotland where they are electorally vulnerable).

The session ended with a lighthearted discussion about the “age of irresponsibility – each side of the House blaming the other for the “irresponsible” behaviour that has led to the current crisis (whereas in fact borrowers have been irresponsible in their borrowing, lenders have been irresponsible for their lending, and the government has been irresponsible for stoking up a bubble of personal and public debt that was bound to burst sooner or later).

Gordon Brown was very relaxed during these Questions. He seems to be in his element when dealing with financial minutiae. It was as if he were Chancellor again.