There really was no question what the topic of discussion would be at this week’s PMQs following yesterday’s only half shocking verdict in the drawn out phone hacking trial.
Andy Coulson’s guilty verdict was never going to bring the axe down on the prime minister but it has left his judgement open to question.
Before the session even started Speaker John Bercow sounded a warning for members to stay away from certain topics regarding the case after major concerns were raised about the timing of David Cameron’s statement following the verdict.
The sound bites were polished and ready again for Cameron who reiterated his regret at having hired Coulson.
As expected Ed Miliband went on the attack from the start.
His opening remark to remind the House that the first thing they should be thinking about was the phone hacking victims was an effective set up for what was to come.
None of the questions were new to anybody who has followed the phone hacking saga from the start. Repeated questions of why the prime minister seemingly ignored the advice and warnings of the deputy prime minister and newspaper editors about hiring Coulson in the first place quickly resembled the act of walking into a brick wall reinforced with steel as Cameron, as always, did his best to dodge, duck and deflect the issue.
With a copy of the Leveson Inquiry report – which he repeatedly reminded the House lasted eight months and cost £5m – by his side like a child clutching a security blanket, Cameron repeatedly confirmed that the issues being raised had been covered in the report.
Miliband was effective in his questioning and Cameron’s deflections will no doubt prove insufficient in the long run.
The one time the prime minister did reveal a vulnerability was on the issue of whether he was warned by any civil servants about Coulson, a question he failed to address three times.
But he did manage to get his own digs in. Miliband’s misjudged move of posing with the Sun newspaper before performing a quick U-turn even the Conservative government would have been proud of provided Cameron with some ammunition, although his efforts to put Damian McBride and Alastair Campbell on the same level as Coulson was an obvious and failed move.
David Cameron will be no doubt glad to be free of the torture chamber of PMQs for another week and will be even more relieved to have dodged a fatal blow.
———————————
Michael Davies is a journalist and Progress member
———————————