Miliband: PMQs “puts people off politics”

Ed Miliband has questioned the need for Prime Minister’s Questions during a public meeting today. Speaking in Northern Ireland, the Labour leader suggested that the weekly half hour sessions are not “very enlightening for anybody” and leaves people asking “what’s that got to do with my life?”

Miliband also said that the exchanges “probably massively puts people off politics”. His full quote is:

“In the end I take quite a simple view about this, which is if people think politics matters they will get engaged in it and vote for it,”

“Now watching me and David Cameron shout at each other once a week on Prime Minister’s Questions isn’t very enlightening for anybody, let’s be frank about it. It probably massively puts people off politics if they’re watching it because they think: ‘It’s two blokes shouting at each other, what’s that got to do with my life?'”

“Look, that’s something I think about quite a lot. Someone in my office was telling me I’ve done like 120-something Prime Minister’s Questions in the last four years.

“That’s sort of 120 times a long time that I’m not going to get back in terms of my life. I’m not sure it’s made much difference to the sum of human knowledge.”

What does this mean for PMQs if Miliband will becomes Prime Minister? Will it be scrapped? Miliband has already pledged to introduce a ‘Public Question Time’, where ordinary voters would be able to regularly put questions to the PM – perhaps he sees it as a replacement?