PMQs review: Miliband lands punch on NHS as leaders go through the motions

Here we are again. Another week, another Wednesday, and another wrangle between Cameron and Miliband about the NHS.

This is getting a bit old.

Cameron attempted to get Miliband on the back foot – he kicked off PMQs by posing questions to the Labour leader about the Welsh NHS. Rather predictably, the rest of PMQs descended into the two party leaders arguing about who can be more trusted with the NHS.

But, there was something a little more sinister about the Tory line in this round of NHS debates. The PM refused to answer Miliband’s questions on the NHS England. Instead Cameron attempted to turn the tables (and undermine the very point of PMQs) by trying to goad Miliband into answering his questions on the Welsh NHS. The reason for this is obvious: he’s attempting to undermine Labour’s credibility on the NHS –  one of the policy areas they do best on.

To bolster his faux-case, Cameron then resorted to the most obvious tactic for the Tories: he lied.

He defended the Coalition’s record on the NHS over the past five years (yes, really) by saying that the Government have introduced 2,500 more nurses and 8,000 more Drs into NHS England. Because, to quote the PM himself, “we invested in the NHS in England, and they cut the NHS in Wales”. The irony.

The truth (in case you were unsure), is that while the Welsh NHS certainly has it’s problems – not least the funding to Wales has been cut by the Coalition – the Tory’s top-down reorganisation of NHS England has been an absolute failure. Cuts have meant that NHS England has lost 4,000 senior nursing posts since 2010, waiting times for routine surgeries have risen sharply, and as Miliband said, the Government have missed the target for treating people suspected to have cancer for the first time since it was introduced 2009.

Miliband came out with a strong line in response. For the first time, he asked Cameron whether wouldn’t consider funding NHS cancer treatment by levying tobacco companies because of Lynton Crosby. Chief election strategist for the Conservative’s 2015 campaign, Crosby has strong links with the tobacco companies and he lobbied Lord Marland to oppose the introduction of plain packaging on cigarettes on behalf of the company that produces Marlboro cigarettes. It would do Miliband well to continue pointing out such vested interests in the Conservative party more often.

This was probably the most interesting thing said during today’s PMQs. While refusing to do his job – and answer the questions he was being asked – Cameron steered the conversation to his favourite topic: leadership.  Labour has an “Ed Miliband problem”, cried Cameron. “Two of your MPs have defected and 9 the MPs from your 2010 intake are standing down next year”, retorted Miliband.

Who is the better leader, the two could argue it out forever. The real question is at this point, who cares?

Leadership ratings may matter when people go to the polls in May but I imagine hearing these two men try to tear each other down doesn’t do much for either’s popularity.

So, while Labour need to take on the lies the Tories are spreading on the NHS and Miliband should (as he has been trying to) take on the question of ‘leadership’ – they’re aren’t only topic that they should talk about.

We’ve heard today’s PMQs all before. It is any wonder, as the speaker suggested, the public aren’t impressed with these Wednesday lunch time debates? It is, at the moment, just two men shouting at each other about the same topics, over and over again. Quite frankly, it’s getting boring.