PMQs: Cameron calls on Brown to denounce Tibet crackdown

David Cameron said the whole world was "shocked by the security crackdown in Tibet", and whilst noting that our relationship with China was vital he asked if Brown would tell the Chinese government that the crackdown was completely unacceptable.

In replying Brown finally said that he would meet the Dalai Lama in London. On the Today programme yesterday Malcolm Rifkind had accused Brown of "extraordinary weakness and feebleness" in his dithering on the decision on whether to meet the Dalai Lama. Cameron congratulated him "on making absolutely the right decision". He didn't ask a question though so Brown just replied: "indeed, we make the right decisions at all times".

In his next set of questions Cameron offered Brown the "opportunity to answer some of the questions he's failed to answer", asking:

• Whether he would let MPs have free votes on the HFE Bill when it came to the Commons (first asked last week)
• Whether he was personally in favour of ID cards (first asked two months ago)
• Whether he could guarantee that A levels would remain after 2013 (first asked six weeks ago)

Brown, of course, didn't enlighten us any further. When he tried to turn the ID cards question into a question to Cameron, Cameron retorted: "If he wants to ask me questions, call an election and he can ask six a week!". In a reference to the "So what?" debate, he also noted that it was good to see the Children's Secretary (Ed Balls) "sitting there so quietly" and that he taken the right choice between shouting more clearly or being quiet.

Cameron had more barbs up his sleeve. He said that it was no wonder that new spin doctor Stephen Carter says "living in Downing St is like living in a surreal cartoon", with spin doctors starting to spin against each other. To great laughter he also cited the name of David Muir's (Director of Strategy) favourite book: The unstoppable power of leaderless organisations. "If he cannot run his office, why doesn't anybody wonder that he cannot run the country". Brown responded as best he can, saying that the fact he wasn't asked about issues like the global economy and the NHS shows the Conservatives have no answer to the problems of this country.

Nick Clegg asked first about Gurkhas being eligible for citizenship after 1997 but not before, and secondly if the "Prime Minister will tell the House today if he has any regrets about his decision to support and pay for the war in Iraq?".

Nigel Evans asked how many Post Offices were due to close in Brown's constituency and if he would be fighting to keep them open as other Cabinet members had been doing. Also of note were questions from Labour MPs Graham Stringer and Martin Caton on the Barnett Formula and the unsustainability of biofuels, respectively.

1.40pm: Samuel Coates notes the significance of Muir's bedtime reading

Comments

[Tom FD]

Cameron's congratulation seemed a bit of a weak line to take but it turned out to have great effect as Brown's response to it showed himself up as arrogant, delusional and utterly impolite. It says something that Cameron can win against Brown even when he's complimenting him!

[Richard Lowe]

I saw it as Cameron teeing up Brown for the final shots before Easter - admittedly he probably didn't expect Dordon to say he'd meet with the Dalai Lama...

Easy win for DC.

[Annabelle Makepeace]

Well Cameron lost that one! He seems to have fallen into a trap by asking a Dalai Lama question.

DC ended up congratulating the PM. Isn't the idea of the opposition to attack!

[Margaret Hemmings]

I was so dissapoited that David didn't ask a question about the Gurkhas.

My family has a strong military background and they would be turning in their graves if they knew what was happening.

Instead Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats asked the question of the day and are now leading the attack.

Can someone give Dave a pep talk about what people are concerned about!

We can't allow the Lib Dems good publicity like this.

[Benny Malone]

Well DC can't win them all. Sometimes when you are ahead in the polls you can become complacent.

Gordon Brown wrong footed DC over the Dalai Lama. DC should have taken a little more time to prepare for every eventuality. Be a boy scout basically.

I agree too, Nick Clegg did well and no doubt will get the news coverage today.

The treatment of the Gurkhas is todays main event.

[Iain]

"Well DC can't win them all. Sometimes when you are ahead in the polls you can become complacent."

Yes Cameron shouldn't go looking to ask a question for which Brown is in complete control of the answer, and for which Cameron has no way of knowing what the answer will be. Cameron made the situation worse by his second 'non' question, which confirmed that Brown had sabotaged his line of questioning. Here Cameron should have gone on to asking him another question such as on the Ghurkhas. But the biggest error was to not put any question to Brown on Government finances, and take to opportunity to ram home the mess our country's finances are in.

[michael m]

I wish Cameron would ask:-
"Will the Prime Minister now apologise to the British public for selling our gold reserves at the bottom of the market which to date has cost the taxpayers some £xx"

Although Brown will not do what he is asked, at least that will get in the Public's mind how much this has lost the country and cast yet another doubt that the country's economy is safe in his hands - they must continue to repeat the sum whenever they have the chance.

[Conand]

Tom FD@13:13:
'Cameron's congratulation seemed a bit of a weak line to take but it turned out to have great effect as Brown's response to it showed himself up as arrogant, delusional and utterly impolite.'

I think this is entirely true. My gut reaction was one of dismay, but on reflection it does shw Brown as a quite extraordinary man 'arrogant, delusional and utterly impolite'

I don't think any politician can claim their party is always right. I'm amazed that Brown has any time to devote to being PM, he's constantly going around championing the Super Casinos policy.

[Iain]

I would like him to ask,…. 'In light of getting Scottish elected MP's to carry the vote to put top up fees on English students, less money spent per head on the English NHS than Scotland, and the Prime Minister blocking home care for the elderly in England, would he say that he had fulfilled the undertaking he made when he signed the Claim of Right to make Scottish interests paramount?’

IT IS WRONG THAT IT IS A LABOUR MP FROM MANCHESTER WHO GETS UP TO ASK ABOUT THE BARNET FORMULA, YET NOT A PEEP OUT OF THE CONSERVATIVE FRONT BENCH.

[Iain]

"I wish Cameron would ask:-
"Will the Prime Minister now apologise to the British public for selling our gold reserves at the bottom of the market which to date has cost the taxpayers some £xx""

And the £116 billion they have over borrowed in the last 5 years, and the £80 billion trade deficit, worse than the US's or the £50 billion current account deficit, or the £120 billion done in PFI deals, as well as deals being moved off shore for tax advantages (I think that makes them nondom PFI deals ) or the £2 billion Metronet PFI deal of Gordon Brown's that went sour leaving the tax payer to pick up the bill, or , or , or, there an awful lot to ask on the economy , but no question being asked by the Conservatives.

[Mavis Davis]

OK PMQs was a little embarrasing today.

I bet DC wanted to disappear down a black hole rather than "ask" his 2nd non question.

I agree the Ghurkhar line of questioning would have cornered Brown.

Todays PMQs crown I have to admit goes to Clegg. We musn't let this guy out of the starting blocks. I sense trouble ahead

[London Tory]

'Worcester Woman' is not interested in selling the gold reserves, or the Barnett formula. As someone else mentioned, the more David Cameron wisely distances us from the Daley and Heffer brand of Toryism, the bigger our poll lead becomes.

Work that one out.

[Hubert Oliver]

Am I the only one to think That David Cameron has ups and downs? Sometimes he's on the money, other days he keeps missing open goals.

We suddenly find ourselves with a strong lead and what does David do? Asks a question about some territory we can do nothing about.

Why not ask some bread and butter issues re tax and spend or of course the obvious Ghurkhar question that Clegg asked

[IRJMilne]

I do not understand why Michael Gove backs the government on the Gurkhas. He will be getting a "very disappointed" rating from me in this month's shadow cabinet poll for his worthless response on The Daily Politics to the issue.

Clegg did not have a good PMQ's - he wasted his second question on Iraq.

I am glad that Mr Cameron is supporting the Tibetans.

[Jim Mcleod]

Cameron is more intent on turning PMQ's into a Music Hall farce than being serious about politics.
Yes he is ahead in the polls.
Why heaven only knows.
I rather suspect it is more to do with Labour's woes than anything he has done.
This is going to turn mark my words and the public is going to see him for what he really is.

[scampi]

Some of the idiots on this site need to get real. PMQs is not what the game is all about. DC knows what he is doing to win the support of ral voters. Look at polls and stop sniping!!

[m wood]

What an ungracious answer from Bruun when DC congratulated him on his decision about Tibet - "indeed, we make the right decisions at all times"
It just shows what an unpleasant man he is!

[Helen]

PMQs are a music hall farce and always have been. They are there for entertainment and, as Hague discovered to his cost, being good at it does not necessarily win you friends or influence over people.

As for what is the issue of the day, the Gurkhas, yes, but Tibet is not far behind. A surprising number of people outside the political bubble care about it. Inside the bubble - pols, media, blog comments - there is an astonishing number of people who seem to justify China on the basis of information provided by the Chinese government.

[Patrick Maule]

I don't think anyone here is sniping.

I think this site has to be about honesty. Congratulate David when he gets it right but also accept when things don't work.

Today at PMQs wasn't good. His 1st set was bad and ended up congratulating the PM. His 2nd set of questions was better but frankly asking the same questions he asked some months ago and didn't get answers is a bit pointless.

My real concern about today is that NuLabour will quote David from Hansard on their election material basically saying " I congratulate the PM on being so magnificent.

[James Tavern]

Don't be silly. Your forgetting one key fact - NO ONE watches PMQ's expect us lot and we make up a tiny percent of the electorate. There is No point in Cameron asking on policy as Brown NEVER answers them and simply spins more lies about his Governments amazing record. Cameron is right then to use PMQ's to show Brown up, as his complment did today. The real politics, where our poll lead is coming from could not be further away from PMQ's. David knows this. I'm just so grateful he is in charge of our party (and its 16% poll lead!!) and not some of you lot!

[bill]

Re "Can someone give Dave a pep talk about what people are concerned about!": I've been waiting for this ever since I heard of him and to little avail. Brown made Cameron look a bit silly today although Dave did make a slight recovery. I agree his choice of questions should have included the Gurkhas. Too often his questions seemed aimed at currying favour with those who in my day read the Morning Star in the 6th form common room and their descendants.

[Northernhousewife]

Go James!

[Jim Mcleod]

Cameron is right then to use PMQ's to show Brown up, as his complment did today. The real politics, where our poll lead is coming from could not be further away from PMQ's
James Tavern | March 19, 2008 at 18:32

The real lead is coming from the selective questions put to the recipient. The polls would suggest different figures if the same questions were asked in different parts of the Country.
As for David Cameron, sadly he is coming over more like a third rate comedian than a prospective PM.
This Music hall lark is not doing him any good at all.
As an aside. Take a look at one of the polls that had Obahma a mile ahead of Hillary one day. The next day she slaughtered him
Cameron has yet to win ONE bye election. In the three he has fought he has come third each time even when he was ahead in the polls.
Stop counting these chickens they do not always come home to roost.
Conservatives are making the mistake of having Dave home and dry.
Th electorate will punish him hard for taking them for granted.
He has won nothing yet do not forget that with the exception of local elections, people vote different in those to national elections..

[Northernhousewife]

The BBC's take on Cameron's 'Well Done'..

But for all his hard work and the dozens of unhappy looking sticky notes plastered across the surface of his briefing papers Gordon Brown has still not worked out what to do when the Conservative leader is pleasant to him.

Last month the prime minister appeared taken aback when Mr Cameron wished him a happy birthday, as though this was the one eventuality he had not prepared for.

This time he seemed just as unnerved when the Conservative leader congratulated him on the decision to meet the Dalai Lama.

David Cameron didn't even ask a question. He simply praised the Prime Minister's announcement and sat down.

The effect was as though he had just pelted Gordon Brown with wet fish.

[Patrick Maule]

@ Northernhousewife

You are clearly delusional

[Malcolm Dunn]

She's not Patrick Maule. She quoting from the BBC website.Read it yourself if you like.

[Chad Noble]

Well I enjoyed seeing Ed Balls being embarrassed by Cameron again. Good viewing.

[Terry]

Brown said the Barnett formula is based on NEED.

Is lying to the House not against the rules anymore?

[gezmond 007]

Cameron was just awful !! what a performance , I think those who usually write his questions and his prepared quips obviously had the day off and left him to do his own !

What a great example of Dave at work on his own. PMQs this week said a great deal about Dave , no prepared jokes and quips by his mates and Dave is lost for words !