Like peeling off a sticking plaster, u-turns are best done quickly – dragging it out will only prolong the pain.
The Prime Minister added that the conduct of the relevant police officers was “not acceptable”.
David Davis was among the MPs who strolled over to exchange friendly words with Mitchell. He is seen at Westminster as a vindicated man.
The two party leaders trade blows over energy prices. Neither is hurt too badly.
After a period of neglect, it looks as though Marx will play a starring role in the next general election.
By Andrew GimsonFollow Andrew on Twitter Nothing during Prime Minister’s questions was as striking as the personal statement made by Nigel Evans (Con, Ribble Valley) immediately afterwards. Mr Evans has just stepped down as deputy speaker while he robustly defends himself against charges which include sexual assault and rape. One might have expected that he would […]
By Andrew GimsonFollow Andrew on Twitter After detecting incontrovertible signs that the British economy is recovering, Ed Miliband took refuge in Syria, to which he devoted his entire quota of questions. Syria, alas, shows no signs of recovery, and the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition soon found themselves locked in an ignoble contest to […]
By Andrew Gimson Follow Andrew on Twitter "Is there any point in this, Gimmers?" my neighbour in the press gallery asked half-way through Prime Minister's Questions. "Yes there is, but I'll have to tell you afterwards," I replied, for I like to listen with morbid conscientiousness to what is actually said in the Chamber. By the end of the session, I had to admit that the […]
If the noise at Prime Minister's Questions continues at its present deafening level, David Cameron and Ed Miliband will soon be unable to hear anything, and will be reduced to communicating with each other in sign language. Or perhaps they have already gone deaf, which is why each man ignores what the other has to say. Here is a flavour of […]
By Andrew Gimson Follow Andrew on Twitter The Prime Minister gets more brutal by the week. Untroubled by any sense that he might be demeaning his office, he sets out to beat the living daylights out of Ed Miliband. It is not a pretty sight, but I suppose the Prime Minister could say he is just respecting our adversarial tradition […]
By Andrew GimsonFollow Andrew on Twitter Lynton Crosby has never lobbied David Cameron on anything to do with cigarettes or alcohol. The Prime Minister insisted, when challenged on this point, that he is only interested in learning one thing from Mr Crosby: "How we destroy the credibility of the Labour Party." Mr Cameron added that this […]
By Andrew GimsonFollow Andrew on Twitter David Cameron got the better of this bar-room brawl, but despite the involvement of the two Eds, the contest was not an Edifying one. It became all too clear from these scrappy exchanges that the Prime Minister is determined to seize every chance to kick Ed Balls, the Shadow Chancellor: to unEdify him, as it were. Ed […]
By Andrew GimsonFollow Andrew on Twitter David Cameron got too shouty too soon. Just as one may become enraged by the mere sight of an insect which one knows is going to try to bite one, so Mr Cameron at once got infuriated with Ed Miliband. The Prime Minister was determined to squash the Leader of the Opposition, and […]
By Andrew GimsonFollow Andrew on Twitter Is the Nick Clegg who promised a referendum at the time of the Lisbon Treaty "an impostor or just a hypocrite"? This was the contemptuous choice offered by Edward Leigh (Con, Gainsborough) as Clegg stood in for David Cameron at Prime Minister's Questions. Leigh was one of several Tory MPs […]
By Andrew GimsonFollow Andrew on Twitter Nothing beats the experience of watching Prime Minister's Questions on television. It enables one to see in close-up the faces of the front-benchers sitting next to David Cameron and Ed Miliband, and to tell from their expressions what they think of their leaders' performances. Harriet Harman resembles an aunt who […]