Ed Miliband bruises Cameron over Coulson. But will it make a difference?

The pressure was all on Miliband today. With Cameron hurt, he needed to show that he can still press home an advantage.

First, we all had to listen to the Speaker, who rather enjoys listening to himself. He began with a long and winding overture about the dangers of prejudicing the Coulson trial. One sentence would have done it: yesterday’s convictions are mentionable, those due today aren’t.

But he rambled on and on. His legal witterings were delivered with all the clunking sonorities and ham pauses of an under-employed luvvie delivering the Gettysburg address. And he couldn’t stop interfering during the debate.

Miliband had carefully planned his ambush and committed its wording to memory. ‘For four years the prime minister’s hand-picked closest adviser was a criminal,’ he said. ‘He brought disgrace to Downing Street.’ Miliband then took MPs through the three specific warnings Cameron might have heeded about Coulson’s conduct. From the Guardian, from Nick Clegg, from the New York Times.