Cameron: Brown is utterly dysfunctional
Brown says Cameron lacking in substance
Wednesday, 12, Dec 2007 12:00
Gordon Brown today rejected claims his government is "utterly dysfunctional" after a series of failings and criticism.
The prime minister attempted to turn his weekly cross-Commons session with David Cameron to his advantage by accusing the Tory leader of lacking in substance.
After a series of successful rounds for Mr Cameron in prime minister's questions, Mr Brown said his opponent ducked the opportunity to ask questions about policy, favouring gossip over governance.
Mr Cameron - who used his first round of questions to press the prime minister on the future of Kosovo - said it was substance that was going wrong for Mr Brown, pointing to his alleged inability to make a decision on capital gains tax, pension relief of the future of Northern Rock.
The Tory leader insisted the government is now "utterly dysfunctional", listing the run on Northern Bank, loss of 25 million people's personal details and police investigation into Labour party funding.
Mr Brown had spent a decade promising an improvement on Tony Blair but was now offering "drift, dithering and incompetence," Mr Cameron said.
2007 was the "the year he got found out," the Tory leader added.
Vince Cable also maintained pressure on the prime minister, asking Mr Brown which recent disaster would "haunt him most," suggesting his indecision over the election, inaction over Northern Rock or HMRC data loss.
Mr Brown insisted the past few months had seen him take long-term decisions on planning, infrastructure and the economy, adding "that is what governing is all about".
The prime minister attempted to rebut the acting Liberal Democrat leader, who has acquired a reputation for scoring points against Mr Brown in their weekly exchange.
Thanking Mr Cable for his appearances in the Commons, Mr Brown added: "Given the history of the liberal party it may not be long before his is back in that place again representing his party."
With commentators and bloggers already discussing Mr Brown's likely successor, Mr Cable responded: "Given his own position the prime minister might not be wise to speculate about leadership elections."
Mr Cable attempted to call Mr Brown to account for Iraq, "the one disaster he has personal responsibility for".
Highlighting reports that at least 40 Iraqi women have been executed for personal immorality, Mr Cable asked if 173 British troops had died to transfer power from the "fascist regime of Saddam Hussein to the terror of the fascist militia that run the streets of Basra".
Mr Brown insisted Iraq is now a democracy, while falling violence has enabled British troops to hand Basra over to provisional Iraqi control.