PMQs liveblog: January 26th

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

Verdict: Today should have been a real humdinger, but in the end it was a bit of a damp squib.

As expected, Miliband focused on yesterday’s announcement that GDP growth fell in the final quarter of 2010. He nailed down Cameron, with the PM admitting that growth was “disappointing” (with or without snow) and that, at best, growth is flat.

The problem was it didn’t feel like the line of questioning went anywhere after that. There was no knockout blow from Miliband – something I mentioned last week – and until he can land one, or Cameron has an awful week, then Ed is going to struggle to have a clear PMQs win. He did win this week – just – but with the economy the central issue in British politics, and Tory credibility on the line, he should have smashed Cameron today.

Late on in their tussle, Miliband even conspired to gift the PM an open goal. Ed attempted to contrast his decision to appoint Balls as shadow chancellor with Cameron’s decision to cling on to Coulson. The retort was so stunningly obvious it was almost unnecessary. If Balls was such a good choice, why wasn’t he chosen in October. Ouch. An unforced error. Too easy.

The only other notable part of this lacklustre exchange was Miliband’s return to calling Cameron out of touch and even (to ooooohs around the chamber) arrogant. This has seemed a winning tactic in the past. It strikes a nerve. Hard. But where was Cameron’s angry, shaking, shouting reaction? Where was the red face? Where was the throbbing vein? It wasn’t there this week. The passion was lacking from both sides.

Maybe they’re getting used to each other? Or maybe there are just other things on their minds…

12.34: That’s all for PMQs today – stay tuned for our verdict in the next few minutes – but while you’re waiting, why not watch the early clash between Miliband and Cameron again:

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12.31: Amusement across the house as Sheila Gilmore says that the economy has shrunk by 5% (rather than 0.5%). Cameron says that if Labour’s plan to cut the deficit in four years had been followed, it would still be bigger than Portugals. That sounds suspicious to me, is that not because Portugal is a smaller economy?

12.28: Is it possible that Cameron might vote for a proposal from the Labour benches? Stella Creasy asks for support for her Legal Loan Sharks bill, and the PM says he’ll take a look at it. Practically by-partisan there.

12.24: Cameron says youth unemployment rose during good times as well as bad, but if that’s the case, what is he doing about it – and why did he cut the future jobs fund?

12.21: Tom Watson says that another force should be looking into the Met over phone hacking. The PM looked a little rattled.

12.19: Walking disaster-area Don Foster MP (Lib Dem) refers to DLA mobility cuts as “improvements”. I’m not so sure those facing the cuts will see it that way.

12.14: Gateshead MP (and Newcastle United season ticket holder) Ian Mearns asks the PM if there’s anyone in the government in touch with the views of ordinary people. Cameron ducks the question.

12.12: Ed Miliband provided Cameron with an absolute open goal there. Miliband says he made the right decision to appoint Ed Balls, but Cameron asks why he didn’t appoint him sooner. Miliband was keen to shoehorn Coulson into PMQs – but it backfired.

12.10: Cameron may well be learning. He hasn’t lost his temper today like he has in recent weeks.

12.09: Miliband returns to one of Cameron’s weak points – saying that he’s out of touch, and arrogant. Normally Cameron snaps back at that. Will he do that today?

12.08: Interesting to see Ed Balls sat next to Miliband today – presumably incase figures are required?

12.07: “When we left office the economy WAS growing”, says Miliband.

12.05: “If you don’t have growth you’ll never cut the deficit”, says Miliband. Cameron was flapping for a moment there, but he’s resorting to reading out an OECD quote to calm himself down. It worked.

12.04: Miliband begins by asking the PM what are the cause of yesterday’s poor growth figures. Cameron says there’s a “difficult economic situation”. Miliband reminds Cameron that he said back in December that the economy was “out of the dangerzone”, and asks the PM to confirm that there was “no growth at all” in the last quarter.

12.01: And we’re off…the first question comes from the DUP, and it’s an appeal for a “fair fuel stabiliser”, which Cameron swats away, saying tax changes are only to be made at budgets.

11.49: Hopi Sen has written an excellent post, with some suggested lines for Ed Miliband. My personal favourite is this one:

â€The chancellor blamed the snow. It’s not the wrong kind of snow, it’s the wrong kind of government.â€

11.47: Kerry McCarthy has written one of her excellent pre-PMQs posts. Look out for number 8 on the order paper – a Tory with purple hair..

Preview: Well Ed Miliband certainly has a great deal of material to work with this week at PMQs. There’s Andy Coulson’s resignation last week (doesn’t that seem an eternity ago already?) which Miliband may seek to tie into Rupert Murdoch’s ambitions for BskyB or the phone hacking scandal (although it would be a brave Labour leader to face off against Murdoch so soon). An easier line of attack presents itself through yesterday’s announcement that GDP fell by 0.5% in the final quarter of 2010. Back in December the PM suggested that the country was now out of the danger zone – expect Ed to ask what progress the PM is having in that regard…

As for Cameron, his line of attack won’t be based on the Ed in front of him, but the other Ed on the front bench. The Tory line last Thursday evening was that Ed Miliband “has the shadow cabinet that Gordon Brown dreamed of” and that “Gordon’s people are in charge”. Expect that to be repeated again, and again, and again – the PM isn’t likely to have anything better to say on what will be a difficult session for him.

There’s no such thing as a “must-win” PMQs – but both Miliband and Cameron have a great deal to lose – and much to gain – based on their performances today.