Today was the first PMQs after the Easter break. MPs must have been suffering a delayed sugar rush from all the Easter eggs, because the backbenches were particularly raucous.

With GDP up 0.8 per cent in the last quarter and unemployment down, it was expected that Labour would avoid questions on the economy. We do not seem to have decided yet what our new line is now that the government can claim its policies are working and we’ve abandoned simply saying that it is too little too late.

With local and European elections just four weeks away, you might have expected some pointed political questions to highlight the devastating impact of cuts on local services, or perhaps attempts to highlight something useful coming from Europe by asking David Cameron why he is not using EU funds which have been made available to get young people into work. Young people in the UK are not seeing much evidence that unemployment is down and Labour should be fighting their corner.

We had none of this, sadly. Shadow Europe Minister Gareth Thomas started off with a question from his old higher education brief by pointing out that the government’s shambolic tuition fees policy is costing money – money which could be spent on improving universities.

Ed Miliband used all six of his questions to highlight problems with the sale of Royal Mail, which Labour claims was sold off on the cheap to mates of senior Tories, including George Osborne’s best man, who runs a hedge fund which allegedly had preferential treatment in the process. While this is an important issue for Labour (and one I agree with), I am not sure how much cut-through it has with the public – I have campaigned in 15 parliamentary seats since January and it has not been raised with me once. It gave Cameron the opportunity to criticise Miliband and Labour for avoiding the positive growth in the economy and focus on an issue he said only his backbenches and trade union backers care about.

We had the usual history lesson from Peter Tapsell, this time about the sale of British Gas, and planted questions singing the praises of government economic policy from Tory MPs Jason McCartney, Stewart Jackson and Charlotte Leslie. Member of parliament for my home patch of Knowsley, George Howarth, pointed out that foodbank use in Knowsley is up by 93 per cent and rent arrears are up over eight per cent. Government policies are driving up debt and poverty, says Howarth. Not so, claimed Cameron, who harked on about 1.5 million new jobs (which are few and far between up here in the north), and parroted the ludicrous and out-of-touch Tory line that increased use of foodbanks is the result of better advertising. As someone who once had to rely on visiting a soup kitchen to get a hot meal during a particularly difficult time, I find it deeply offensive and completely inaccurate for Tories to be suggesting that people would use such facilities if they were not desperate. Many Tory MPs are refusing to visit their local foodbanks to find out what is actually going on in their constituencies.

Two questions on Russia. An excellent one from Liam Fox, who pointed out billions of pounds of arms sales from European Union countries to Russia and the need to include these in sanctions. Cameron said he agrees but I have not seen any evidence that he is making this case at the European level. The other question was a condemnation from Labour’s Sheila Gilmore for Alex Salmond’s disgraceful support for Vladimir Putin. There was some rare cross-party unity as Cameron agreed that Salmond’s admiration for Putin was a ‘major error of judgement’.

The standout question for me was from Labour’s Catherine McKinnell, who highlighted the government’s appalling record on promoting women, with just three out of 22 Cabinet posts held by women. Cameron botched his answer completely, blaming the Liberal Democrats – who only hold five cabinet posts (admittedly they are all men). The government has warm words about gender equality and promoting women but it should be judged on its delivery and in this area it is woefully lacking.

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Kevin Peel is a councillor on Manchester city council and tweets @kevpeel. He is a candidate for Labour’s NEC www.kevpeel.co.uk