Scrappy draw in last PMQs of 2010
By Ian Dunt
David Cameron and Ed Miliband fought each other to a draw today, as the last PMQs of 2010 took place in Westminster.
In a scrappy and bad-tempered session, the Labour leader attacked Mr Cameron for breaking his promise on a range of topics, including NHS funding and the educational maintenance allowance (EMA). Mr Cameron accused Mr Miliband of “dithering”.
Mr Miliband began by asking if the prime minister was concerned by jobless figures released this morning, which show 35,000 people lost their job in the last three months.
“Everyone should be concerned and I’m concerned by a rise in unemployment,” Mr Cameron replied.
“I’m not the slightest bit complacent but let’s not talk down the economy.”
Mr Miliband then turned to Mr Cameron’s promise to increase health spending in real terms in each year of the parliament, a promise the Commons health select committee did not believe could be met. Mr Cameron unequivocally reiterated the pledge and insisted he would achieve it, while reminding MPs that Labour had failed to ring fence the NHS budget at the election.
Mr Cameron is good at the “broad brush and he’s good at the air brush and he doesn’t do detail” but he should read the report, Mr Miliband countered.
The Labour leader argued that Andrew Lansley’s NHS reforms represented a U-turn on Tory pre-election promises not to engage in any more “top down re-organisations” of the NHS.
“The old truth is confirmed: when it comes to the NHS you can’t trust the Tories,” Mr Miliband said.
Mr Cameron replied: “There are times I think I’m up against Basil Brush.”
The comment, a reference to Mr Miliband’s haircut, caused confusion in the Commons. Online, several political commentators judged that the joke was not ‘prime ministerial’.
Mr Miliband insisted that Mr Cameron was “breaking his promise and he doesn’t want to admit it”.
He said the PM would get “the back end of the pantomime horse” – a reference to deputy prime minister Nick Clegg – to justify the U-turn.
He added: “It’s time for the front half of the pantomime horse to take the blame for some broken promises.”
Mr Cameron replied that if Mr Miliband wanted to talk pantomime, it would not be long before he thought: “Look behind you.” The joke, a reference to potential plots against his leadership from prominent figures associated with New Labour, was met with a good reception on the government benches.
Mr Miliband then attacked the prime minister for his plans to cut EMA – something he had pledged not to do before the election.
Mr Cameron tried quickly to move on from the subject, citing the “wrecked state of the public finances”.
The leader of the opposition finished his attack with a list of government broken promises, including EMA and the NHS, while Labour MPs chanted “broken” after each one.
Labour started and ended the year with a leader who was “dithering and had no answers on the economy”, Mr Cameron countered.
“In Labour terms that’s what passes for progress.”
Most commentators judged that the exchange was a draw, although some put the Labour leader slightly ahead.
The two men continue to show considerable dislike towards each other, and each PMQs session seems to represent a gradual deterioration in the tone of their exchanges.
The session came during a tough week for Mr Cameron, who had to face down Tory rebels over tuition fees as protestors and police clashed just outside parliament.
The Labour leader made the most out of the vote, which saw several Lib Dem MPs rebel, by redoubling his efforts to get Liberals to abandon the party.
At the first of his monthly press conference earlier this week, Mr Miliband expanded the party’s policy review to include views from Lib Dems, in a highly unusual move which raised eyebrows in Westminster.
The press conference was well received, however, and, together with a confident PMQs performance last week, it managed to quell early speculation about Mr Miliband’s leadership.
A strong first session at PMQs eventually gave way to an anaemic series of performances from the opposition leader, although last week’s attack on the coalition – considered his best performance at the dispatch box so far – gave Labour MPs heart.
