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| Version 7 | Version 8 |
|---|---|
| Clegg debuts with fuel bills call | Clegg debuts with fuel bills call |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Nick Clegg has used his first Commons clash as Lib Dem leader to urge Gordon Brown to do more to help hard up families who face higher fuel bills. | Nick Clegg has used his first Commons clash as Lib Dem leader to urge Gordon Brown to do more to help hard up families who face higher fuel bills. |
| He called on the PM to press gas and electricity companies to "end the scandal of the poorest families paying the most for their energy needs". | He called on the PM to press gas and electricity companies to "end the scandal of the poorest families paying the most for their energy needs". |
| Mr Brown welcomed Mr Clegg to his new job, saying he hoped the two parties could work together on "major issues". | Mr Brown welcomed Mr Clegg to his new job, saying he hoped the two parties could work together on "major issues". |
| Conservative leader David Cameron said he also wished the new leader well. | Conservative leader David Cameron said he also wished the new leader well. |
| In the first question time of 2008, Mr Clegg warned that an estimated 25,000 people were predicted to die from the cold this winter. | In the first question time of 2008, Mr Clegg warned that an estimated 25,000 people were predicted to die from the cold this winter. |
| 'Safe' performance | |
| He said "countless British families face fuel bills of £1,000 or more for the first time" this year. | He said "countless British families face fuel bills of £1,000 or more for the first time" this year. |
| Mr Brown said: "We will do everything in our power to avoid fuel poverty in this country." | Mr Brown said: "We will do everything in our power to avoid fuel poverty in this country." |
| I'm incredibly optimistic about the prospects for the Liberal Democrats Nick CleggLib Dem leader Verdict: How did Clegg do?Clash: Point-by-point | I'm incredibly optimistic about the prospects for the Liberal Democrats Nick CleggLib Dem leader Verdict: How did Clegg do?Clash: Point-by-point |
| Earlier in the exchanges, Mr Cameron welcomed Mr Clegg, saying to cheers: "He's the fourth Liberal Democrat leader I have faced and I wish him well - though not that well." | |
| Ahead of his Commons debut Mr Clegg told the BBC that rather than worrying about addressing MPs he was "looking forward to the next months and years". | |
| "I'm incredibly optimistic about the prospects for the Liberal Democrats. This Wednesday morning ritual is only one small sort of stitch in that wider pattern. | "I'm incredibly optimistic about the prospects for the Liberal Democrats. This Wednesday morning ritual is only one small sort of stitch in that wider pattern. |
| "I think it's important in Westminster terms - I'm not sure if that many members of the public really pay that much attention to it, but it's certainly important in terms of our parliamentary ritual and procedure." | "I think it's important in Westminster terms - I'm not sure if that many members of the public really pay that much attention to it, but it's certainly important in terms of our parliamentary ritual and procedure." |
| Sir George Young, Tory chair of the Commons standards and privileges committee, said the Lib Dem leader should "be relatively pleased" by his performance. | |
| "He dealt with the heckles of 'bring back Vince, bring back Ming' and the sort of derisive laughter," he told BBC Radio 4's World At One programme. | |
| "He played it safe - he chose fuel poverty which is a good safe area to go on. He didn't risk any jokes that might have fallen flat." | |
| Lib Dem Malcolm Bruce said: "He played safe but it was a perfectly good, competent start. It was on an issue which is topical, given the season and the weather." | |
| Labour ex-minister Keith Vaz said Mr Clegg was right to stick to one subject, rather than the "shopping list" presented to Mr Brown by the Tory leader. | |
| The weekly joust between the prime minister, leaders of the opposition and MPs, is a notoriously rowdy affair in which members have to almost shout to get themselves heard. | The weekly joust between the prime minister, leaders of the opposition and MPs, is a notoriously rowdy affair in which members have to almost shout to get themselves heard. |
| Last word | Last word |
| Unlike the prime minister and leader of the opposition, the Lib Dem leader does not have a dispatch box from which to ask his questions. | Unlike the prime minister and leader of the opposition, the Lib Dem leader does not have a dispatch box from which to ask his questions. |
| Mr Clegg also suffers from having only two questions compared with Mr Cameron's six questions. | Mr Clegg also suffers from having only two questions compared with Mr Cameron's six questions. |
| And in both cases the occasion is structured in a way which means the prime minister always has the last word in any exchange. | And in both cases the occasion is structured in a way which means the prime minister always has the last word in any exchange. |
| I'm not sure if that many members of the public really pay that much attention to it Nick Clegg on Prime Minister's questions Brown's PMQs debutCameron's PMQs debut | I'm not sure if that many members of the public really pay that much attention to it Nick Clegg on Prime Minister's questions Brown's PMQs debutCameron's PMQs debut |
| As new leader Mr Clegg's initial task is to raise his public profile - there is widespread debate about the importance of the Commons questions sessions on voters' views. | As new leader Mr Clegg's initial task is to raise his public profile - there is widespread debate about the importance of the Commons questions sessions on voters' views. |
| Vince Cable, who became acting leader after Sir Menzies Campbell quit, received widespread praise for his witty contributions to question time. | Vince Cable, who became acting leader after Sir Menzies Campbell quit, received widespread praise for his witty contributions to question time. |
| But the experience of past Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell - and Iain Duncan Smith for the Conservatives - suggests that poor performances can damage a leader's standing with their own MPs. | But the experience of past Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell - and Iain Duncan Smith for the Conservatives - suggests that poor performances can damage a leader's standing with their own MPs. |