PMQs liveblog: February 2nd

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

Verdict: Winning elections isn’t just about seeking out the weaknesses of your opponent and relentlessly pummelling them into submission. It’s also about neutralising your own negatives. That’s what Ed Miliband was doing today at PMQs. It may not have been the most lively exchange across the dispatch box, but it was necessary.

As most opinion polls have highlighted Labour’s two most significant weaknesses are the public perception (still) that the Tories are better at handling the economy, and that Ed Miliband isn’t yet seen as a potential Prime Minister. While the last few weeks of PMQs have seen Miliband hammer away at the former, today he set about dealing with the latter.

It was a fortunate combination of coincidences that will have led him to adopt this strategy. Whether it was realpolitic or serious political judgement we’ll never know, but Ed will have realised that Egypt is the number one issue today. The only way of being part of that bigger story was to focus on it at PMQs and ride the wave. Coming soon after his trip to Afghanistan – and with the economy a perilous issue this week after strong manufacturing figures – foreign policy was the sensible way to go.

Political obsessives (of which, of course, I am one) will no doubt be upset that we saw a subdued and measured performance from Miliband and an equally composed set of responses from the PM. There was no roar of the crowd or blood on the mat this week. Instead there were serious questions, and serious answers, from serious men. They both deserve credit for that. This was a PMQs that you can’t score or proclaim a winner.

However, what today may acheive is something which is still crucially important for Ed. Casual political observers watching the news tonight will see a statesmanlike performance from Miliband that should see his personal leadership ratings begin to pick up. He looked like someone you could trust to run a country today. A serious thinker for a serious time. No point scoring, just well thought out questions.

He looked the part today. He mixed it up. Cameron won’t know what’s coming next week, and neither will we. Dull and necessary it might have been, but don’t believe the naysayers – this was an important PMQs for Miliband, and a good one too.

12.32: That’s all from a restrained PMQs – we’ll bring you our instant verdict in the next few minutes.

12.29: Cameron is falling back on his usual cliches. Miliband’s performance today was that of a statesman, but Cameron has let himself down with his usual baseless attacks on Labour.

12.24: Here’s Guy Opperman, the token North-East Tory (keep an eye on his seat of Hexham, the demographics are changing…). He asks about North-East businesses, but surely even he realises they’ll struggle under these austerity plans?

12.21: Cameron throws the “deficit denial” attack around, but there’s no passion or vigour behind his attack this week. PMQs is flat flat flat. Unlike last week though, it was a deliberate strategy this week…

12.18: Has Ken Clarke fallen asleep on the Tory front bench? I think it’s fair to say this hasn’t been the most enthralling of PMQs…

12.13: Ian Mearns asks whether or not there’s any truth in reports that councils will be allowed to raise their own furl duty. Cameron responds by saying that the government want to see well-resourced local councils. What chutzpah!

12.09: Yet more agreement from Miliband and Cameron. On a timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan, supporting the Afghan government, building a political settlement and reaching out to insurgents. This is extraordinary. Backbench MPs are murmering and grumping, but Miliband and Cameron stick to their guns. Agreement all round.

12.07: Afghanistan now. It seems that Miliband is going to focus on statesmanlike foreign policy questions today. In light of his trip to Afghanistan, and recent events in Egypt, that’s probably right. It’d be hard for him to shift gear and confront Cameron now.

12.06: Miliband says the best way forward in Egypt is through democracy, and Cameron agrees again. It would seem that on this foreign policy issue, there’s not so much as a cigarette paper between them…

12.04: A second question on Egypt from Miliband, who asks if the democratic transition should take place straight away. Miliband and Cameron appear united in praise of the democratic movement in Egypt.

12.02: Ed Miliband leads off with praise of troops in Afghanistan, and then asks a statesmanlike question on the situation in Egypt, with particular reference to the safety of UK nationals in the country.

12.01: Lib Dem MP jumps on the big society bandwagon, and suggests that local councils are using cuts as an excuse to cut voluntary sector organisations.

11.47: Asking questions to the PM this week? Some of the first names to be called will be Daniel Kawczynski (who I believe is the tallest MP in the house) and Nadine Dorries MP of 70% fictional blog fame.

Preview: It’s hard to know what to expect from PMQs lately. Last week should have been a real blood and thunder effort, and Ed Miliband should have landed some really serious and damaging blows on Cameron. In the end, neither happened. The contest was a little drab. It was almost like Miliband and Cameron were going through the motions. Has PMQs become formulaic? It’s too early to say, but we seem to be settling into a regular pattern.

This week provides less fertile ground for Miliband than last week. Manufacturing figures were unexpectedly positive – expect Cameron to use these as his crutch on the economy, leaning on them at every opportunity. The manufacturing sector was of course larger before Thatcher…

As for attack lines from Miliband, the one that presents itself this morning is probably too good for Miliband to avoid. The big society tsar cutting down his hours because he can’t afford to work unpaid is a microcosm of the entire big society narrative. It’s a little “inside Westminster”, but Miliband could get some decent blows on the PM out of it.