PMQs Verdict: Did you sack her Prime Minister?

It’s noon on Wednesday. It’s the House of Commons. It must be Miller Time.

It look a few moments to warm up, but once Ed Miliband rose to his feet, Maria Miller – a political sideshow if ever there was one – became the only show in town. A sustained growl emanated from the Tory benches (orchestrated, perhaps?) as Miliband mentioned Miller (there’s a mouthful). If it was designed to put Miliband off, it didn’t. Nor could the Speaker, whose attempts to dissuade such jeers by noting that schoolchildren were present fell on deaf ears.

The schoolchildren, sat up in the gallery, remained silent. The honorable members? Less so.

Miliband’s aim today was clearly to try and turn the screw on Cameron over his failure to deal with Miller’s misdeeds quicker. And on that score he was only partially successful. Cameron batted back his attacks by suggesting that he had shown “leadership” in his handling of the Miller affair and that letting her “get on with her job” was the right thing to do. It was a classic piece of parliamentary judo – if Miliband wanted to make this a case of weak leadership, he would make it a case of strong leadership.

Except Cameron’s definition of “leadership”, it seems, is to allow a Cabinet Minister to grossly mishandle an issue, make a botched and perfunctory apology, have her staff hassle journalists who dare to report it, get her PPS to fight a desperate rearguard action and then after a week of bad headlines, send a staffer round to tell her she needs to resign.

Yes. That’s leadership alright…

Yet when repeatedly pushed on the issue, Cameron wouldn’t confirm that Miller had been pushed. It would take real chutzpah to claim that he was letting Miller get on with her job whilst sacking her behind the scenes, wouldn’t it?

Nor would he confirm that she’d jumped of her own accord.

We were left, the Prime Minister intimated, to draw our own conclusions from her resignation letter. Hardly a definitive answer. And hardly a definitive letter. And so a crucial question remains unanswered today – one that may pique the interest of hacks deprived of their prey now that Miller has gone to ground. Did you ask her to resign Prime Minister? Was she asked to go Prime Minister? Did you sack her Prime Minister?

Unfortunately, it was not Ed Miliband who had pushed this point, and forced non-denials from the PM, it was those sat behind him. Miliband had instead sought to ask what on earth had taken so long, whilst accepting that he had at no stage called for Miller to go. There are reasons for such an approach – as I outlined this morning – but that didn’t make it any easier for Miliband. It did, however, lead to the only significant trading of zingers across the dispatch box this year. Whilst cameron believed Miliband to be the first person to call for someone to be sacked after they’d gone, Miliband snapped back that he was surprised it was now his responsibility to sack Cameron’s Ministers. Advantage seemed set to swing towards Miliband.

And yet he never pressed the point home. Cameron was able, somehow, to attempt a scramble for the high ground, as the PM called on Miliband to meet with him to discuss the future of the parliamentary expenses system, the standards system, the cabinet system – anything really, just to let this infernal issue drop.

It was a strategy that worked. I suspect now that we won’t hear too much more about Miller, and that the Tory leadership will be able to slope off for recess and catch their breath.

And yet – the question nags away, unanswered, with the potential to cause damage. It lurks in the background ready to strike the complacent PM. It has the potential to keep the inquisitive journalist awake at night. Did you sack her Prime Minister? Because you certainly haven’t denied it…