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| The Full Story: PM's questions | The Full Story: PM's questions |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Watch the full half hour session | |
| GARY O'DONOGHUE'S VERDICTPOINT-BY-POINT NICK ROBINSON'S VIEWYOUR VIEWS | |
| NICK ROBINSON AND THE DAILY POLITICS GUESTS' VIEWS | NICK ROBINSON AND THE DAILY POLITICS GUESTS' VIEWS |
| The Daily Politics' analysis of Prime Minister's Questions. Andrew Neil and Geeta Guru-Murthy are joined by Ed Vaizey, Caroline Flint and Nick Robinson. | The Daily Politics' analysis of Prime Minister's Questions. Andrew Neil and Geeta Guru-Murthy are joined by Ed Vaizey, Caroline Flint and Nick Robinson. |
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| THE VERDICT: BY GARY O'DONOGHUE | |
| It's becoming an almost permanent fixture of prime minister's question time now - the condolences for the latest deaths of British soldiers in Afghanistan. | It's becoming an almost permanent fixture of prime minister's question time now - the condolences for the latest deaths of British soldiers in Afghanistan. |
| Six have died in the past week including, it seems, the first female member of the forces to lose their life in the conflict. | Six have died in the past week including, it seems, the first female member of the forces to lose their life in the conflict. |
| Such issues quite properly tend to calm the house down from its usual fever-pitch state at the beginning of the session, into a place where political point scoring seems a little trivial. | Such issues quite properly tend to calm the house down from its usual fever-pitch state at the beginning of the session, into a place where political point scoring seems a little trivial. |
| So half of the exchanges today between Gordon Brown and David Cameron focused on the situation in Southern Afghanistan, with the prime minister acknowledging that Britain was no longer fighting a Taliban army but a Taliban insurgency. | So half of the exchanges today between Gordon Brown and David Cameron focused on the situation in Southern Afghanistan, with the prime minister acknowledging that Britain was no longer fighting a Taliban army but a Taliban insurgency. |
| David Cameron wanted to know whether any progress was being made to unify the various levels of command between NATO and the Americans. | David Cameron wanted to know whether any progress was being made to unify the various levels of command between NATO and the Americans. |
| It was, said the prime minister, but what was really important was to continue with economic and social development, eradicating the poppy growing and transferring power and responsibility to the Afghan police and army. | It was, said the prime minister, but what was really important was to continue with economic and social development, eradicating the poppy growing and transferring power and responsibility to the Afghan police and army. |
| It is unusual for the opposition leader to use all six of his allotted questions on foreign affairs. But last week's "no" vote in the Irish referendum on the Lisbon treaty was just too tempting. | It is unusual for the opposition leader to use all six of his allotted questions on foreign affairs. But last week's "no" vote in the Irish referendum on the Lisbon treaty was just too tempting. |
| The shadow of Monty Python's parrot loomed large over the house when Mr Cameron wanted to know whether the treaty was now dead. | The shadow of Monty Python's parrot loomed large over the house when Mr Cameron wanted to know whether the treaty was now dead. |
| Mr Brown said he respected the verdict of the Irish people and he would be attending a meeting in Europe tomorrow; he knows that Europe isn't the easiest of issues for the Tory Party and he produced the standard pro-European argument for Britain's membership - 60% of trade depends on the EU as do three million jobs. | Mr Brown said he respected the verdict of the Irish people and he would be attending a meeting in Europe tomorrow; he knows that Europe isn't the easiest of issues for the Tory Party and he produced the standard pro-European argument for Britain's membership - 60% of trade depends on the EU as do three million jobs. |
| This led Mr Cameron to suggest that the PM was not showing much leadership on the issue. | This led Mr Cameron to suggest that the PM was not showing much leadership on the issue. |
| With that parrot looming still, he wanted to know "either it's dead or it isn't". | With that parrot looming still, he wanted to know "either it's dead or it isn't". |
| Mr Brown retorted that the Tory leader was being driven by his own anti-European backbenchers, and the Conservatives had not offered referendums on previous treaties anyway. | Mr Brown retorted that the Tory leader was being driven by his own anti-European backbenchers, and the Conservatives had not offered referendums on previous treaties anyway. |
| But the parrot was put to rest by Mr Cameron himself, when he introduced yet another image into our expectant minds - not a parrot this time, but suggesting that Mr Brown was showing as much spine as a jellyfish. | But the parrot was put to rest by Mr Cameron himself, when he introduced yet another image into our expectant minds - not a parrot this time, but suggesting that Mr Brown was showing as much spine as a jellyfish. |
| As is often the case, the Tory leader had the better lines, but can not really claim in this instance to have scored a direct hit on the prime minister. | As is often the case, the Tory leader had the better lines, but can not really claim in this instance to have scored a direct hit on the prime minister. |
| We will just have to wait to see whether there's any life in that parrot yet. | We will just have to wait to see whether there's any life in that parrot yet. |
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| AS IT HAPPENED: BY BRIAN WHEELER | |
| 1155: Busy morning - The Wintertons have been told they inadvertantly breached rules over claiming allowances for their second home. David Davis has formally resigned as an MP, and Labour have confirmed they will not contest the by-election triggered by it. And Gordon Brown has just responded to a report on the criminal justice system by saying online maps showing local crime would be brought in for every area of England and Wales. | 1155: Busy morning - The Wintertons have been told they inadvertantly breached rules over claiming allowances for their second home. David Davis has formally resigned as an MP, and Labour have confirmed they will not contest the by-election triggered by it. And Gordon Brown has just responded to a report on the criminal justice system by saying online maps showing local crime would be brought in for every area of England and Wales. |
| 1200 Prime Minister Gordon Brown sends his condolences to the family of two members of the parachute regiment in Afghanistan and to the families of four other service people killed in action in recent days. | |
| 1201 Eric Ilsley, Labour, Barnsley Central, asks about plans to make sports centres pay retrospective VAT. Mr Brown hailed a new scheme to offer free swimming to the over 60s. Mr Brown said he would meet Mr Ilsley to discuss the issue. | |
| 1203 Conservative leader David Cameron also pays tribute to the service people killed in action. He asks Mr Brown for an update on progress in Afghanistan. | |
| 1205 Mr Brown says British forces have changed tactics to meet a change in tactics by the Taleban, who were now using "Iraq-style" tactics. He also hails progress on the economy and reconstruction. Asked by Mr Cameron what progress had been made on a unified international command, Mr Brown said he had asked the Germans to take a greater role in training Afghan police and was making progress in other areas. | |
| 1208 Mr Cameron calls on Mr Brown to declare the Lisbon Treaty dead. Mr Brown says he respected the Irish voters but also respected the UK Parliament's decisions. | |
| 1210 Mr Cameron criticises the arrogance of asking the Irish to vote again, particularly when the British people had not been asked once. Mr Brown said it was a matter for Ireland - but Mr Cameron said Ireland had already spoken. "If he wants a British view, why doesn't he ask the British people," asks Mr Cameron. | |
| 1212 Mr Brown says the Tories had opposed a referendum on earlier treaties such as Maastricht and could not say whether they supported a post-ratification referendum. Mr Cameron accuses him of being obsessed with the past and says: "Instead of going on about John Major, why doesn't he provide some leadership? I know the PM wants to live in the past, but why doesn't he learn from the past?" | |
| 1213 Mr Cameron lists Labour's shifting positions on a referendum and tells them: "I have seen more spine and leadership from a bunch of jellyfish". He calls on Mr Brown to hold a referendum - Mr Brown quotes former Tory Chancellor Ken Clarke who says a referendum would be "crackpot, dotty and frankly absurd". He accuses Mr Cameron of being led by backbench anti-Europeans and says Labour knew where it stood - it was in favour of Europe. | |
| 1214 Former Cabinet minister Peter Hain brings up Zimbabwe and calls for the first round of voting to be recognised in the presidential election. | |
| 1215 Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg focuses on fuel poverty and calls on Mr Brown to force utility companies to use some of their "£70bn" windfall profits to offer more help to the poorest in society. He accuses Mr Brown of not understanding the stresses families struggling to pay fuel bills were under. | |
| 1216 Mr Brown repeatedly assures Mr Clegg that the government is already doing all it can to help the poor with fuel bills by putting pressure on the energy companies. | |
| 1218 Former Europe Minister Denis MacShane asks about France rejoining NATO's military command - and earns a rebuke from Speaker Michael Martin who says the third part of his question was "terrible". | |
| 1220: Mr Brown echoes Mr MacShane's sentiments, says the UK and French navies will work more closely together but insists they will never be merged. He repeats the point more forcefully in answer to a question from Eurosceptic Labour MP Ian Davidson. The Sun front page this morning read: Oi Sarky, we're narky over EU Navy malarky. | |
| 1222 Mr Brown says the current conditions in Zimbabwe meant the elections could not be free and fair. He says the government had asked the regime to allow in observers for the 9,400 polling stations. "If that is not to happen it will be difficult to justify elections as free and fair," he says. | |
| 1224 In an answer to a question from a Labour MP, Mr Brown defends the record of DNA in criminal cases and says he is surprised at "the now Mr David Davis" in calling for curbs in its use. | |
| 1225 Mr Brown taunts Mr Cameron, by asking him if he will be supporting Mr Davis in the by-election and asks if he will be on the ballot paper as the candidate of "David Cameron's Conservatives". | |
| 1226 "Why are their so many strikes at the end of a Labour government?," asks a Tory MP. Mr Brown says days lost because of industrial action are down under Labour. | |
| 1227 Mr Brown says Britain is ready with other countries with an economic plan for the Middle East to promote peace. | |
| 1228 Tory MP Ann Winterton hails the Irish referendum vote, saying "Three cheers for the Irish" and asks how people were expected to trust the government if it flagrantly ignored the EU law saying that if one country did not ratify the treaty it would fall. | |
| 1229 Mr Brown accuses the Conservatives of being "viscerally anti-European" and says the party had not changed and wanted Britain out of Europe altogether. | |
| 1230 Tory MP Michael Jack asks about "respect czar" Louise Casey's report on the public's lack of confidence in the criminal justice system. Mr Brown hails efforts to improve the situation and adds that was why CCTV and DNA evidence were needed. | |
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| YOUR VIEWS | |
| "Weak and pathetic! Why won't Brown ever answer a question without referring to what the Tories did over a decade ago."Max | |
| "I love PMQT, but I think there should also be a Shadow PMQT, where the opposition can be asked, "Well, what would you do...", just so that the public can see that the main parties are all much of a muchness!"Northern Soul, Up North, United Kingdom | |
| "Has there ever been a more dishonest piece of politicking than the way this Government is treating the Lisbon Treaty - or Constitution as it's known to Giscard D'Estaing - and the people's opinion of it! They're so scared of what the Barroso's of this world would say if they ditched the Treaty that they can't bring themselves to do the right thing - and the thing that was agreed originally - namely that the Treaty is dead without all 27 countries approving it."Mike, Windsor, UK | |
| "Mr Brown says he listens to people on 42 days, so why not on the treaty"Keith Wiseman, Bury via text | |
| More of your views on Commons clash | |
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