PMQs verdict: Corbyn controls the tempo, manner and mood of the debate

The effectiveness of Jeremy Corbyn’s relaxed PMQs style is still up for debate. The Leader of the Opposition stood up today and calmly declared that his first few question would be on the subject of tax credit cuts. David Cameron reclined in his seat. For each of the questions over the despatch box on the issue, and there were three, the Prime Minister did not even refer to his notes.

Was it because Cameron feels well briefed on the issue? Certainly, it will have come as no surprise to his team that it was what Corbyn led on, and he will have prepared several lines on tax credits, knowing he would be able to use them.

That’s where Corbyn’s style lacks edge: his slow, ponderous statements are generally followed by vague, rhetorical questions. It allows Cameron to use his prepared lines without having to try too hard to shoehorn them in. Reading out messages emailed in to Corbyn works fine (Lysette and Johnny were the people to have raised tax credits today), but he should perhaps use that as a launchpad to delve into detail of the policy – an area I am sure more suited to Corbyn than Cameron. Instead, his questions were so open-ended (“does he not see the value…?”, “…is there any reason we should believe him?”) that it is difficult to even accuse the PM of dodging them.

The case for the defence, however, still stands intact. Cameron, despite not coming away bloodied, is clearly frustrated that he has yet to work out how to best Corbyn in the bouts. The Labour leader utterly controls the tempo, mood and manner of the debate – at one point today he waited, mid-sentence, for the Tory backbenchers to quieten down before he carried out, chastising them with a teacherly “thank you” when they had. Any arousal of spirit from Cameron runs the risk of revealing the dreaded Flashman when compared to Corbyn polite method of questioning.

Indeed, Cameron’s annoyance got the better of him when Labour backbenchers pushed him further on the subject of job losses in the steel industry, bellowing at one MP about how well the industry is doing now compared to under Labour. His answer to Anna Turley, whose Redcar constituency is one of the worst affected by the problems, appeared to blame the steel sector for the redundancies. That will little to assure people that he is doing all he can.