PMQs as-it-happened
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12:14 – Bercow tries to stop the two leaders going on a bit in an effort to get more backbenchers in. He’s ignored. Cameron goes on about “a
12:13 – Noise from the Tories forces Brown to tell them its important to conduct this as a debate “b ecause our troops will be listening to this debate as well”.
12:09 – Cameron says we need to ackowledge that the earlier objective were lofty and vague. disapproval of that in the Commons. He changes tack and focuses on how few helicopters we have. Brown says its right to raise the issue of equipment so he “can reassure him”. Lovely. Brown quotes from ocmmanders on the ground – the second time this week – saying helipcopters wouldn’t have saved lives on Friday.
12:06 – Brown stresses the importance of extending the mission to Pakistan as well, and urges recognition of the increased numbers he has authorised. “They have the resources and equipment they need,” he adds.
12:05 – Cameron gets up. He leads on Afghanistan. “Isn’t there a need for an even tighter definition of our mission?” We’ve been there for eight years, but we need greater urgency and more visible progress, he argues.
12:01 – The first question is from John Maples on the Afghan strategy. What is it exactly? Brown says the objective has been the same since 2001 – to defeat terrorism.
One minute before we get going and there’s outright disrespect to the Speaker, John Bercow, whose calls for less noise are greeted with loud shouting.
11:10 – About 50 minutes to go until the session kicks off. Brown and Cameron are back in today, for the last PMQs before the House rises for the summer. Last week, deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman managed to hold her own against an uncharacteristically lightweight performance by her Tory counterpart, William Hague. One couldn’t help but feel he’d been pressured into taking up the Tory attack on capital spending. The chances are Cameron will stick to that ploy this week, probably adding in a little ‘not being straight with the British people’ rhetoric for a bit of zing. The other option, of course, is to launch a full-spectrum political attack on all of Labour’s failings to get a bump before MPs all go home for the summer.
