David Cameron and Gordon Brown clashed in heated exchanges about Royal Mail today, as the Tory leader sought to blame the impending strikes on the Prime Minister's leadership.
Cameron attributed the industrial dispute to Brown's alleged failure to push through the part-privatisation of Royal Mail this year. "He stopped the bill because he couldn't sell it to his backbenchers," Cameron said.
Brown said the halt to plans had "nothing to do" with the dispute, arguing it was because of the 2007 modernisation bill -- and expressed regret that the Tories were not helping the government find a way of avoiding the strikes.
Brown ended the exchange by dismissing the opposition as "wrong on the recession and wrong on the recovery".
Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, pressed Brown over the need to "split up" the banks. Mr Brown said he was "wrong".
Jacqui Smith, the former home secretary, posed another question. It was her first to the Prime Minister in the new parliamentary term, and her first since she was damaged by the MPs' expenses scandal. She praised the Surestart scheme the Tories plan to abolish. Brown thanked her for her contribution to that scheme and other policies.
James Gray, the disgraced Tory MP, asked about climate change and Brown called on the Tories to support the government's efforts at the Copenhagen summit in coming weeks.
In response to a question from a Labour MP, Brown reiterated that it was a "disgrace" that the Tories had prioritised inheritance-tax cuts for the country's richest estates.
Score:
Cameron 6
Brown 6
Clegg 5
