PMQs liveblog: November 3rd

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

12.30: Ed Miliband seemed to have the upper hand this week – he led off with statesmanlike questions over Yemen, but that meant that he needed to move onto another topic later on. He moved quickly past tuition fees, before landing on Cameron’s civil servant photographer, which was much more fertile ground. Although Cameron was full of energy this week, he still doesn’t seem to have the measure of his opponent yet. Ed is right to say that Cameron is meant to answer the questions, but he’s going to need to find a new way to ask the question or he’ll sound repetitive. Most importantly though, Ed is still using PMQs as a signpost for the media, and to make Cameron look aloof, sneering and high-handed. It’s a long-term strategy though – expect plenty of people to tell him he’s wrong before it really pays off.

12.28: Cameron is put on the spot by his own backbenchers over prisoner’s voting right. Cameron attempts to go hardline, saying it makes him feel “physically sick” to think of “anyone” in prison getting to vote. Very dramatic…

12.27: Tom Watson appears to be “bobbing” in an attempt to ask a question. If he’s called on, will we hear another question about Cameron’s Cameraman?

12.24: Gordon Brown’s constituency neighbour Lindsay Roy says that Cameron always points to alleged mistakes of the previous government – and asks him to own up to his mistakes. Cameron doesn’t take the opportunity for a mea culpa…

12.20: Another question from Labour (this time Heidi Alexander) on EMA. Cameron returns to the budget deficit as an excuse for scrapping schemes that his party think are a good idea…

12.19: Philip Hollobone, the Tory backbencher, complains about a high percentage of immigration and asylum cases in his area being given indefinate leave to remain. Hasn’t he hasn’t been doing casework on their behalf?

12.16: Cheers and jeers for Hazel Blears, which seems unfair as she is talking about the loss of homes by her constituents. That’ll be the compassionate conservatives…

12.14: Another question about Cameron’s photographer – and another flailing response that doesn’t answer the question. At the next question he resorts to reading out the Labour manifesto. Shame he can’t read out the Lib Dem manifesto…

12.11: Cameron responds with attacks on the previous government. Ed Miliband says that this is a government of broken promises, and this must be what they meant by “Broken Britain”. Cameron seems genuinely taken aback, and rails at Miliband’s “lame soundbites” – that’s extraordinarily rich…

12.09: Ed Miliband returns to a familiar refrain about asking the questions at PMQs. Ed Miliband now attacks Cameron over the hiring (on the civil service) of his own personal photographer, and gets off a couple of good lines, one on airbrushing, and one on Nick needing to move “a little to the right”.

12.08: The PM used to think that trust mattered says Ed Miliband, and asks about the anger that will be felt from voters in Lib Dem constituencies. Cameron replies with a pre-prepared line “the Milibandwagon”. I’m surprised it took him so long to use that awful pun…

12.06: Serious questions are met with serious responses from the PM. Ed now moves on top tuition fees, and the “cast-iron gaurentee” that the Lib Dems made to vote against a tuition fees rise. Cameron responds with platitudes, but doesn’t answer the question…

12.04: Ed moves onto the wider context – not just terrorism but the wider context, including the potential for economic reform in Yemen to deal with underlying problems.

12.03: Loud cheers for Ed as he rises for the first time today. He begins with a question abour air frieght in Yemen. Are we going to see a statesmanlike and measured performance today?

12.01: PMQs begins with the Prime Minister paying tribute to soldiers who have died over the past week, before John Robertson pulls Cameron up for his broken promise over EMA. Is this a set up question? And if so, will Ed Miliband lead off with this?

11.38: Another week, another PMQs clash for Ed and the PM. However as Ed’s second son is due to be born later this week – and Ed plans on taking paternity leave – this could be the last Miliband/Cameron clash in the house for a while. Cameron was comprehensively beaten by his opposite number over Europe on Monday. Will Ed come out all guns blazing again? Last time housing benefit was the major line of attack, and became the big media story of the week. What does Ed have up his sleeve this time?