ePolitix.com - PMQs - The verdict

There was more anticipation surrounding deputy prime minister's questions than prime minister's questions itself this week, but in the end both turned out to be a bit of an anti-climax.

John Prescott was appearing before MPs for the first time following the cabinet reshuffle which saw him demoted and the revelations over his affair with a civil service secretary.

The prospect had Tories salivating and the press gallery unusually packed in expectation of unfortunate innuendos and answers to supposedly serious questions about what Prescott was now actually going to do without a department to run, how many staff he would have working for him and at what cost.

They got the former, with Conservatives in stitches at references to Prescott chairing the cabinet committee on "domestic affairs" and having a "hands on" role in housing.

But Prescott, with some protection from the speaker, dismissed the double entendres as akin to a "sixth form at a public school" and batted back the jibes about his job with constant references to the similar, but smaller, role performed by Lord Heseltine in the latter years of the Major government.

Towards the end he even appeared to be enjoying himself for the first time in weeks.

Then came the main event, although that too lacked the drama of recent clashes.

For the third week David Cameron chose foreign prisoners as his main topic, pressing the prime minister on his, subsequently qualified, promise to "automatically deport" them all.

Tony Blair appeared to row back a bit further, now saying the presumption would apply in the "vast bulk" of cases.

Cameron, probably correctly, claimed Blair was "making it up as goes along" and recycled his soundbite of last week that the government was in "complete paralysis".

But Blair managed to get on the front foot more himself this time, slamming the Tories' voting record on law and order and calling on Cameron to put his "vote where his mouth is".

Sir Menzies Campbell has also struggled in recent sessions, admitting as much at the weekend, but steadied himself this week.

The Liberal Democrat leader resorted to extremely short questions in what some might call his comfort zone of foreign affairs.

By the time Blair leaves office, he asked, will British troops be withdrawn from Iraq and will Guantanamo Bay be closed? Not the most pertinent or hard hitting probes, but not embarrassing either which, for Sir Menzies, is enough for now

Cameron came back for a second bite on the worthy, if unexciting, issue of drugs in the fight against Aids.

Showing that Labour backbenchers are not averse to a bit of schoolboy humour themselves, one shouted out that the Tory leader would know a thing or two about pharmaceuticals. It was that sort of day.

The verdict

Tony Blair 6/10 - Has had better days, but also worse.

David Cameron 6/10 - Should now get back to 'consensus' issues such as pensions and education.

Sir Menzies Campbell 5/10 - Kept it short and simple, but is that all he's got?

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