PMQs Verdict: The importance of competence and sunshine

It’s allergy season in Westminster. The pollen is pouring from the flowers and trees of the Parliamentary estate, the grass of Parliament Square is playing its party too, and MPs and researchers alike sniffle their way through a hayfever addled week. So it was unsurprisingly to see Cameron toss an allergy inspired barb at Ed Miliband today at PMQS. Miliband – the PM said – was allergic to good news, having avoided mentioning the fall in unemployment announced this morning.

Miliband should have found a way to mention it, even if the situation is more complex than Cameron wished to suggest – to avoid doing so makes it look like you’re being gloomy, when the rest of the country is after what they can see from their windows – sunshine.

Yet Miliband still had plenty of ammunition at his disposal for today’s session – not least warring Cabinet ministers May and Gove. Miliband trained his fire first on Education, and then on the Home Office. Two departments chosen at random – naturally. On education, Miliband seemed to be arguing for a new kind of local level scrutiny of schools – neither local authority nor Whitehall led. The detail for this will presumably emerge later.

Yet on the Home Office, and the passport backlog that has emerged – threatening thousands of holidays – Miliband was on firmer ground. Theresa May seemingly denies that a backlog even exists, Cameron at least realises the potency of claims that his government’s failings have cost someone their week away. Yet, of course, Cameron cannot – will not – take responsibility. So he obfuscates. He said that 200 staff “redeployed to the front line” in the passport office. And yet his government have cut 22 interview offices, one application processing centre and hundreds of staff from the Passport Office since 2010. And what does the “front line” of the passport office mean, anyway?

A grumpy Cameron was riled by attacks on his Government’s competence – with little policy to speak of, his electoral chances are based firmly on the economy and on the ability of his government to be capable, even when their deeds are dastardly. Public spats and simple failings do not project such an impression to the British people.

Near the end of the session, a pointed – football-themed, get used to them over the next month – question from Labour MP and relative newcomer Mike Kane temporarily threw the Prime Minister. Kane asked if in light of May and Gove’s public spat, the PM should be asking Roy Hodgson for advice on team discipline. Cameron took a while to get going, umming and erring, but soon he’d righted himself – his ability to think on his feet returned. Pleased with himself, he praised his ministers, and said that “keeping the team together” was the best way to win.

The Tories rolled in the aisles, perhaps hoping to catch the eyes of the whips and formally note their merriment ahead of the reshuffle.

But a question remains – one that looms larger for Cameron than for Hodgson – is “keeping the team together” a good idea if the players are beating ten bells out of each other in the dressing room?

(In the spirit of the shoehorned-in World Cup questions today, this was a low-scoring draw between two teams that can and should perform better. Neither will be qualifying from the group stage unless they up their game.)