Great fireworks today over Northern Rock. Cameron started with sombre questions about taxpayers’ money involved – Can Brown guarantee the safe return of the taxpayers’ money given Northern Rock? Was he advised the liability could rise so high? Could it rise higher than £55bn? No answer. Brown tried his trick of last week of asking Cameron a question so often that Michael Martin intervened. “He doesn’t have to answer the Prime Minister’s question,” says Michael Martin. Not until the next general election, at any rate.
Then for Cameron’s coup de theatre. “I’ll tell you what you did. When it came to the need for a total guarantee of deposits, you dithered and delayed. When it came to pushing for a sale with Lloyds TSB, you dithered and delayed. When it came to advice you were getting to sell this bank, you dithered and delayed. Why did you dither and delay? Because you were planning a general election?” It was brilliant, a good old schoolhouse spanking.
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