The initial exchanges of the Queen’s Speech Debate have just come to a close – and, I must say, it was all rather jolly. Harriet Harman came prepared with gag after gag about the Tories’ “marriage” to the Liberal Democrats, while David Cameron had a few about Harman’s actual marriage to Jack Dromey. There was much laughter, good-natured jeering and cat-calling. So – business as usual.
Underneath it all, though, there was a substantive clash between the two sides. In a spritely performance, Harman wisely avoided an “investments vs cuts” style attack, instead charging the coalition with not having a mandate for many of its political reforms. Whereas Cameron accused Labour of not facing up to its fiscal legacy. Or, as he put it, “The only golden rule is: never trust Labour with our economy.”
Taking questions, Cameron was nimble and forthright.
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