PMQs Verdict: Miliband knows you don’t fire your best shots when no-one is watching

PMQs happened this afternoon. It bears pointing out, as with the Budget happening immediately afterwards, hardly anyone is going to notice.

And so it was good to see that Miliband was aware of that. He struck a somewhat plain, statesmanlike tone today at PMQs, with question on Cyprus and Syria. After the hyperbolic attacks of recent weeks, it was probably right to dial down the rhetoric.

And I’m not sure how loud the cheers would have been from the backbenchers after so many rebelled (and many more abstained under duress last night) on welfare sanctions.

But more importantly, it’s crucial to save the best shots for when the public are watching. Labour has got rather good at the forensic destruction of Osborne’s budgets and myriad financial statements. 4G, Pasty Tax, Mummy Tax, Granny Tax, A Tax Cut for Millionaires. If Miliband has a shot like that to fire today, then let him do that in response to the Budget. Because these PMQs sessions are window dressing – nothing more.

An opportunity for backbenchers to get angry and make a scene. To hammer home some key dividing lines. To fire the opening salvos.

The real test comes in a few hours…