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Cameron attacks Ed Miliband as "weak, irresponsible and left-wing" during fiery PMQs

By Tim Montgomerie
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Chiles

Adrian Chiles asked David Cameron the above question in a feature in Saturday's Guardian and the PM used his answer to reveal his disdain for his weekly joust with Ed Miliband. Many voters will agree. Today's exchanges between the two party leader were hardly edifying. The Speaker interrupted constantly asking MPs to calm down and stop shouting... although these interventions always seem more about Mr Bercow's thirst for TV attention than being in any way effective. In exchanges on public sector pensions David Cameron twice attacked Ed Miliband as "weak, irresponsible and left-wing". Ed 'Class War' Miliband responded by saying that the Chancellor spent more on his skiing holiday than a dinner lady earned in a week [I think he meant a year]. Tory MP Andrew Percy was disgusted and walked out. He tweeted his disgust:

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The PM defended his pensions reforms and repeatedly cited Labour peer John Hutton who has endorsed their fairness. Mr Cameron attacked Ed Miliband for backing strike action when negotiations were ongoing. Neil Kinnock didn't even do that, he claimed. He insisted that meetings with trade unions were still underway. Discussions were held yesterday and will be held tomorrow, he continued. He said today's strike action had been a "damp squib". [Francis Maude has claimed that only a third of civil servants were striking].

After Cameron had attacked Ed Miliband for his dependence on union funding Mr Miliband said he'd prefer to be funded by millions of union members than with millions from Lord Ashcroft. He then broadened his attack by focusing on yesterday's Autumn Statement. The Leader of the Opposition said that the Government was making the poor pay the price and will never again be able to claim that we are all in this together.

Cameron hit back by saying that the Government was doing the difficult things. Freezing public sector pay. Reforming pensions. Making welfare fairer. All these tough choices were being ducked by Labour and borrowing would be higher if they were in power.

We also had a star turn from Jacob Rees-Mogg. Emulate Reagan, he urged, and sack striking workers as the former President did when American air traffic controllers walked out. The PM was in fiery form today but he was not ready to agree to that.

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