Cameron’s call for change leaves Brown rattled

The Speaker presided over his own memorial service today. The PM led the tributes by reminding us that Michael Martin had spent thirty years living off the rest of us – sorry – contributing to public life. Cameron said thanks for the help he received as a parliamentary fresher in 2001. Even wobbly-jowled Tory shiresman Nicholas Winterton declared that Martin had been “kind and caring”. It sounded as if he was talking about a spaniel.

The main punch-up was much brisker than usual. Someone in Central Office has been playing with a stopwatch and has noticed that Brown only listens to the first five seconds of any question. That’s how long it takes him to decide what to answer. So if the question lasts less than five seconds he’s in trouble. Cameron exploited this weakness and scored several quick and easy goals. He asked Brown what he meant by suggesting that “a general election would cause chaos.”