Benn mocks Clegg's gaffe
By Philippa Silverman - 31st March 2011
Nick Clegg has been mocked in the Commons for forgetting to turn his microphone off following a televised event with David Cameron.
The deputy prime minister was overheard joking with the prime minister last week: "If we keep doing this we won't find anything to bloody disagree on in the bloody TV debates."
Cameron laughed, before Clegg realised he had left the microphone on, suffering a similar fate to Gordon Brown when during the election campaign he was recorded describing angry Labour voter Gillian Duffy as a "bigoted woman".
Speaking earlier today during the business statement, shadow Commons leader Hilary Benn called for a debate on the "serious and persistent problem of open microphones being attached to members of the cabinet".
He told MPs: "Is it not unfair that at a time at which the deputy prime minister is desperately trying to distance himself from the policies of his own government, we should discover by those underhand means that in fact he agrees with the prime minister on everything?"
Benn also spoke of plans for a "total rethink" for the Liberal Democrat party's image, following "catastrophe at the polls".
He asked: "Can we have a statement from the deputy prime minister on whether he has any plans to change the law on party names and symbols to permit this?
"It would, I have to say, be a great pity to lose the bird completely. What about a dodo or an albatross?
"Though I'm not entirely sure this would fit onto the ballot paper."
Responding, Commons leader Sir George Young said he had been "surprised" that Benn would want to refresh memories of the Gillian Duffy incident and the embarrassment of the previous prime minister.
Sir George said he was sure Clegg would "sweep away the somewhat frivolous suggestions" at the next deputy prime minister's question time on Tuesday.
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