I suspect we may see the return of Mr Punch today... Gordon Brown absent (again). Prescott there. Clarke a long way from Blair. Q1. What does it take for the PM to accept Clarke's resignation. Blair looking uncomfortable. Cameron: Home Sec told last July about prisoners being released. PM has had a week to find out what's going on. Why did the rate increase after Home Sec found out about it? Blair: Practice of Immig Dept changed in 2005, so many more cases were identified. 1000 actual removals and 3000 cases considered. However, from 30 March every case is considered before release. First time it has happened for decaded. Cameron: No explanation for why it acclerated. Immig officer said there was unwritten rule that Immig officers could not go to prison because prisoners would claim asylum. Creative solution thought up by officials to please Ministers. Can Blair say it wasn't case: Blair: yes. Mentions Cameron's time as a special adviser in Home Office. Cameron looks outraged. Says only 370 removed in 1995 (forgetting that the number of foreign prisoners was a fraction of what it is now). Blair going on for too long. Showing he is flustered. Wrong to say this problem began under this Home Sec. Cameron says people will think that answer was pathetic. Scandal has happened under his watch and he cannot escape responsibility. Another letter from Immig officer. Under instruction not to get involved with Police - thus are figures massaged. Blair not answering question. "The important thing..." he always says that when he is rattled. Blair just made a huge error. Will post on it in a moment. Cameron: Look forward to Clarke's statement. he stayed for the last one when PM left. March 30 Home Sec had been told murder and rape had been committed. Didn't tell PM for 3 weeks. Shouldn't he have been told at once? Blair doesn't answer the question. Says it all. Now Blair blames Conservatives for the whole thing! Cameron in good form. On what does it depend if Clarke should resign. Blair says Home Sec did not create problem. Important to sort out existing system. No endorsement for Clarke, no repetition of syaing he;s the best one to sort it out. He's gone. Toast. Cameron: 1000 people released and deportation hasn't even been considered. This Home sec has released prisoners on our streets. Tough on crime? Paying the price for a leader who's lost control.
Cameron battered Blair. Blair didn't even try to answer any of the questions Cameron raised and importantly didn't offer Charles Clarke any real support at all.
Ming Campbell asks: Is the Home Office fit for purpose. Has to repeat the question. Dear oh dear. Blair says it's a question which might well apply to Ming Campbell! Skewered. Blair says Home Office does not need to be reformed or broken up. LibDem MPs looking very crestfallen. As well they might. Ming says we need less legislation, better government and a new Home Secretary. Well that's told Blair! Jesus.
Cameron 8/10, Blair 5/10, Campbell 1/10
15 comments:
Any idea what Blair is wearing around his wrist? Looks like a red band...he's not joined Kabbalah has he?
Blair seems desperate. Using the "it was bad pre-1997" argument consistently.
Cameron has some good inside information from immigration officers.
what was blair's huge error?
Blair looked rattled - his answers using the fig leaf of the day of the new legislation New Labour hopes will clear the headlines. His answers technical - Cameron was going for the throat. Good on him. ( Dangerous animals these chameleons. )
Ming was terrible.
I do hope that when the Conservatives get back into government Cameron doesn't allow his backbenchers to ask such tedious feeder questions to him as Blair does. It really is pathetic and a waste of parliamentary time
Blair will have p*ssed off a lot of people with his attempts to smear DC through when he wasn't even an MP! I thought that was really pathetic.
As for the rest of PMQ's it was clear that Blair was concentrating on the minutie to turn people off the issue and DC hammered popular themes home.
Not totally impressed with DC, he reads off his notes too much. But a good win nontheless
And who was that awful awful Labour backbencher trying to get a question out about restructuring the Home Office but failing badly, I can see why Blair doesn't want to sack ministers if that is the depth of talent he then has to select from. It's truly a sad state of affairs when such people can be elected, and that's not a party political point.
It's completely biased against anyone other that the Gov or Official opposition...
If Cameron was asking his questions from Ming's position he would struggle to cope, Im sure of it.
For all you say, I thought DC looked weak today. It was soundbites with no responses to points raised during the exchanges.
good to hear Dcs being more forceful and assertive.
Cameron was poor, he didn't adapt at all to Mr Blair's responses or proposals but just ploughed on with his script. Your marking, as ever, is based more on your hope rather than the reality!
How lovely to see Michael, I let them all out, Howard again though....
I suppose by the end of the week Cameron will have had another good one?
Iain, you should stop trying to be impartial. It doesn't suit you.
Are you seriously trying to tell me that Cameron didn't do better than Blair? If I thought cameron had had a stinker I'd have said so. Evidence: When I was on Sky NEws a few weeks ago and gave Blair higher marks than I did Cameron. And yes, Cameron has had a much better week so far than Blair. If you think the opposite you;re as deluded as the PM.
Cameron was fine, but if the PM refuses to answer questions, such as "depends on what?" the whole exercise is pointless. I wish the Speaker would interrupt now and then to say, "the Prime Minister must answer the question."
I was out of the country when the Kennedy/Campbell business happened. Shocked on return to see how old and ill Ming looks. Poor sod. But why on earth did they elect him?
Cameron did well to highlight the statistic massaging tactics of the the government. It's a pity neither he nor anyone else thought it not worth the bother when it was first reported in the Daily Mail on 5th December last year.
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