Pm's questions-Brown on the defensive

Eyes down for a resumption of hostilities as PM's questions gets underway.

Gordon Brown will be working out his strategy now. His options are not appealing.
The key question is whether he will use this occasion to admit for the first time in public (the PLP is behind closed doors), that there are losers as well as winners under his tax reform package.

says Joey Jones

But to ease the pain the governemnt has released a written statement to the Commons stating that they will compensate pensioners and the young over the 10p tax rate abolition

So here we go

Labour backbencher Louise Ellman kicks off who asks whether Gordon Brown will give a specific committment to bringing forward measures to help those who have been affected by the 10p rate abolition.

Brown is in combative mood,saying that the government feels that there are better ways of addressing poverty....We are the party of fairness in poverty to cheers as the leader of the oppossition gets up

Cameron starts by saying that we can call the session,Prime Minister's u turns.Lack of authority,massive climb downs and is he making the changes because he fears losing next week's vote.He says Brown is taking the people for fools,Brown counters that Labour is the party to take people out of poverty unlike the Tories who were against the 10p tax band and the minimum wage.

Why did all this begin asks Cameron reminding Brown that the initial announcement came from his budget looking for cheap hits.He continues that the whole issue shows the government is about,Politics not policy,self interest not national interest.

Brown counters with a long list of Labour's achievements on poverty something,he says that the Tories would have never done.

Cameron reminds him that he had to break off a meeting with the President of the US to take an outside line to persuade an MP not to resign and lists the recent comments of Labour MP's.

The only time that Brown listens is when he is in danger of personal defeat urging the public to vote against them on 1st May.

Nick Clegg to much shouting rises to his feet,the speaker having to intervene,before accusing the Prime Minister of penalising the poor to help the rich,something that he felt was the Tories position."Where were the Labour dissentors on Budget day he asks"

Mike Gapes, Labour member for Ilford, does a party political broadcast on behalf of Ken Livingstone,letting Brown add that if Londoners vote for Boris they can say goodbye to affordable housing and good transportation.



So who won?Cameron on the attack,Brown returns fire with lists of achievements and accusing the Tory party of double standards.But there is no doubt that Brown was on the defensive throughout,helped by the planted questions designed to attack the party opposite.