Benn 'like Rory Bremner'
By Tony Grew - 5th May 2011
The leader of the House has compared his shadow to comedian Rory Bremner - but without the talent for mimicking accents.
In a good-natured exchange at the business statement today, shadow leader Hilary Benn once again subjected the government to some light mockery.
"May we have a debate on the breakdown of collective cabinet responsibility?" he asked.
"After his threat to sue ministerial colleagues last week, we read that the secretary of state for energy and climate change this week used the cabinet meeting to launch a blistering personal attack on the prime minister over the content of the no campaign leaflets. He also said this over the weekend:
"'To attack your political colleagues in a coalition for accepting the compromises necessary to allow the Conservatives to implement some of its policies is outrageous.'
"Well, where exactly do we start on that?
"First, it makes it sound as if the Lib Dems are helpless victims, rather than willing participants. If, however, that is the case, can we have a list so that we know who to blame in future and for what?
"Secondly, a cabinet minister was openly criticising the man who appointed him and it appears that the occupant of No. 10 is completely powerless to do anything about it.
"I wonder whether the prime minister feels that the most annoying man in British politics is now, in fact, the climate change secretary?"
The eminently avuncular Sir George Young, leader of the House, took it all in his stride.
"I am amazed that the right hon. gentleman should seek to raise this when he is speaking for a party that since losing power has deluged high street bookshops with inside accounts from all the main players, giving us the grisly details of the spats, feuds and briefings within the then cabinet," he said.
"Things do not sound much better in the current shadow cabinet, with one Brownite insider reported as saying that the leader of the opposition’s team is 'terrified' of the shadow chancellor and shadow home secretary because;
'They think they're going to come and try and kill him. And the reason they think that is because they will.'
"The truth is that the tensions within one party that sits on the opposition benches are much more damaging than the understandable tensions between two parties during a referendum campaign and local elections.
"From next week we will be back in business, working together in the national interest to get the economy back on its feet. Our divisions will heal, but Labour’s never will."
Sir George also observed that Benn has become "a sort of Rory Bremner without the accents".
Other amusing moments at the business statement:
* Greg Knight calling for a royal wedding in his constituency, because it would mean the potholes would get sorted out.
* Tom Brake calling for a debate on the success of the coalition - Labour MPs were most taken with that idea.
* Clive Efford's claim that the yes to AV campaign has been the victim of the "dead Clegg bounce".
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