PMQs: David Cameron defends stance on Europe and energy: live

Written By Unknown on Wednesday, 31 October 2012 | 05:54

12.31 And he’s done – on time for once! Now for the verdict from
Westminister….

12.30 The Prime Minister sounds confident as he defends plans to scrap
child benefit for earners over £50,000. He says it is inexplicable that
Labour to oppose this when they “say they want those with the broadest
backs to share some of the burden” of reducing the deficit.

12.29 Julian Huppert, a Liberal Democrat MP, questions whether the
Government is really the “greenest ever” after the recent energy
rows. Cameron responds emphatically:

QuoteIt is under this government we have seen more investment in renewable
energy in three years than we did in 13 years [under Labour]. This is a very
green government and it’s sticking to its promises.

12.24 Cameron also bats away yet another question from Chris Bryant,
the Labour MP demanding disclosure of more of his correspondence with
Rebekah Brooks. He reckons there is a “stash of embarrassing emails”.
The Prime Minister says again that he is “still waiting for an apology”
over Mr Bryant’s premature release of information from the Leveson Inquiry.

12.23 The Prime Minister has calmed down a bit now as he takes
questions on ward closures, apprenticeships and the army covenant in
Northern Ireland. He also gets a breather with a friendly plant on good news
about the economy.

12.22 More from Tim Ross, Telegraph political correspondent

QuoteThe exchanges on Europe were noisy, partisan and bad tempered. This meant
Ed Miliband could poke fun at Cameron’s angry “crimson tide”. But
I’m sure the PM is hoping the Commons fury will have stoked the Tories’
tribal hatred of Labour enough to prevent his backbenchers joining the
Opposition in the lobby for the EU vote later.

12.19 Channel 4′s Krishnan Guru-Murthy agrees it’s not exactly clear
where the Prime Minister sits.

12.16 Now it turns to the energy row between John Hayes, energy
minister, and Ed Davey, the energy secretary. The Prime Minister goes on the
attack, saying Miliband’s “jokes have been bad and substance bad too”.
His answer suggests he partly backs Hayes and partly Davey:

QuoteThere’s been no change towards renewable energy…. But frankly all
parties are going to have to have a debate about what happens once the
[renewable] targets are met.

12.14 Ed Miliband is back and tackling the Prime Minister on a report
by Tory grandee saying the Coalition needs a plan for growth.

The PM insists the report says growth has been neglected over decades.

12.12 Tim Ross, a Telegraph political correspondent, brings this live
from the chamber:

QuoteCameron reveals that he wants “at best” to see a “cut”
in the EU budget. All week Downing St have been refusing to say that,
insisting only that the PM’s plan was for a “freeze”. No doubt he
hopes this will be enough to convince his eurosceptic backbenchers he’s on
their side. But has the British negotiating position has actually changed?

12.11 Now a question on the Leveson Inquiry. Steve Rotheram, a Labour
MP, accuses Tory ministers of briefing against the idea of state regulation
of the media.

The Prime Minister says he will wait for the inquiry’s recommendations. He
says he wants a “robust, regulatory system” for press with fines
for newspapers, journalists investigated and prominent apologies.

12.10 Jon Craig, of Sky News, notes that the front bench is getting
over-excited.

12.08 A Labour MP, Andrew Miller, asks the Prime Minister about the
expected low turn-out at the police commissioner elections.

Mr Cameron admits that getting a lot of voters along will be a “challenge”
for a new set of elections.

12.06 Mr Miliband jibes that the Prime Minister’s “crimson tide”
of rage is back – “perhaps because he’s worried about losing the vote
this afternoon”.

QuoteHe is weak abroad. He is weak at home. It is John Major all over again.

12.05 The Labour leader quotes Mr Cameron calling for a cut in the EU
budget when the Tories were in opposition. Ouch.

12.04 Ed Miliband goes straight for the jugular, challenging the Prime
Minister to go for a cut. Mr Cameron accuses Labour of “rank opportunism”,
given that Labour gave away half of Britain’s valuable rebate to the EU when
it was in Government.

12.01 First question on the EU budget as expected, from supportive Tory
MP Andrew Stephenson. Mr Cameron says he wants to see the budget “at
best cut, at worst frozen”.

QuoteI’m quite prepared to use the veto if we don’t get a deal that is good for
Britain

11.58 Here’s the order
of business
for today’s Prime Minister’s Questions, showing the people
who might be called by the Speaker.

11.54 Our deputy editor, Benedict Brogan, predicts it’s going to be a
difficult few hours for the Prime Minister. In his morning email, he writes:

Quote
A day of intense strain for the Coalition. The EU vote in the Commons later
on is bad enough, because it exposes an area of increasingly acute
disagreement between Conservatives and Lib Dems. Then there’s John Hayes
taking an axe to wind farms … without telling his boss Ed Davey, which
will set off another blistering row over who runs energy policy after David
Cameron re-wrote it by accident at PMQs

11.51 James Forsyth, the Spectator’s Political Editor, has some words
of advice
for the Prime Minister: reassure the EU budget rebels or face
losing tonight’s vote.

11.47 Europe is also likely to be high on the agenda. This afternoon,
the issue of the EU budget will be defeated. Labour sources have just told
me the party is likely
to gang up with Tory rebels
to demand a cut to the spiralling budget.

11.46 David Cameron is likely to find himself fighting fires again.
This morning, the row over the green agenda has deepened, after John Hayes,
a Tory energy minister, called an end to the spread of wind farms. He was
immediately slapped
down by Ed Davey
, the Lib Dem Energy Secretary. Where does the Prime
Minister stand?

11.45 Welcome to the Prime Minister’s Question Time liveblog for
October 31 2012.


Source:
http://www.news.ezonearticle.com/2012/10/31/pmqs-david-cameron-defends-stance-on-europe-and-energy-live/

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