Who won?

Ed Miliband is clearly buoyed by the strength of yesterday’s EU performance, which make his win today as inevitable as a homemade lasagne Chez Balls. Cheered by the backbenches as he rose to his feet we undoubtedly saw the return of ‘Red Ed’ – he even likened tackling bankers’ bonuses to a ‘class war’ which ‘cannot be won by a cabinet of millionaires’.

Tackling Cameron on bankers’ bonuses and the failure to implement the Walker report over transparency of pay was a clear win. Cameron’s recent espousal of ‘remoralisng capitalism’ easily crumbled when he refused to acknowledge the benefits of workers’ representatives on remuneration committees. This is a positive first step for Miliband in positioning towards the German model of ‘workplace democracies’ whereby government, employers and unions negotiate countercyclical policies so that jobs aren’t lost in times of recession and workers sit on remuneration committees so employers can ‘look them in the eye’ as Miliband put it, when they take home their bonuses are all part of a fairer, responsible capitalism. Cameron flat-out refused this proposal, seemed a little bit embarrassed and quickly reverted to the mantra that performance-related bonuses are ‘pro aspiration’.

On to NHS reform Cameron could do nothing but meekly stand and take the blows as Miliband listed off the professional bodies from midwives, nurses and GPs who, as Labour members chorused from the back benches are all ‘against the bill’. Miliband called the bill a ‘disaster’ and urged the PM that it was time to drop it.

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A special mention must be given to the redoubtable Speaker Bercow who wasted no time asking Cameron to retract his accusation that Miliband was a hypocrite, labelling the term ‘unparliametary’, when Cameron later feigned that he had no idea what word he should use for someone who ‘criticises the chancellor of going to Davos while he himself is there’ The speaker quickly retorted that the PM is ‘very well educated and he’s sure he doesn’t struggle with his vocabulary.’ Indeed.

No shortage of planted government questions in support of the benefit cap that will be voted on later today, even one from the DUP’s Nigel Dodds. This was a topic that was notably untouched by the Labour benches.

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There were some strong contributions from backbenchers, particularly Sheila Gilmore who accused the government of being ‘tougher on the vulnerable than the powerful’. Very few playground jibes from Cameron today, he was clearly on the back foot, and even his puerile jibe at ‘Lord Baldemort’ (referring to Liam Byrne) was an old taunt borrowed from Tory blogger Guido Fawkes.

Miliband took the lead, Bercow came second and Cameron trailing in third.

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Jenny Simms is director of Unions21

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Photo: UK Parliament