PMQs - The Verdict

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Labour MP Alun Michael
Shadow Commons leader Theresa May
Lib Dem children's spokesman David Laws

Harriet Harman - once dubbed "Harriet Harperson" because she is so politically correct - became the first ever Labour female politician to be asked questions to the prime minister.

Her presence at the despatch box was caused by Gordon Brown's absence at the NATO summit in Bucharest - "He's gone to a meeting in a palace - so he's probably lost by now," William Hague said in reference to the Queen's jokey explanation to French president Nicolas Sarkozy for why the prime minister was late for last week's state dinner.

Having been castigated in the morning papers for wearing a stab-vest whilst touring her own Peckham constituency with police officers, most in the Westminster village were expecting her to be thoroughly beaten by parliamentary heavyweight Hague.

But sometimes low expectations can be useful and given the negative headlines and the fact that John Prescott used to deputise for Tony Blair on these occasions expectations were rock bottom.

To most people's surprise however Harman managed to be serious and funny at the appropriate moments.

Hague began by congratulating Harman on her debut and suggested she: "Must be proud to be following in the footsteps of Margaret Thatcher. Who we on this side of the House and the prime minister so much admire."

It was a good line but Harman retorted cleverly by drawing attention to the fact that it was a question posed by a male shadow foreign secretary and not the female shadow leader of the House - Theresa May.

Therefore Labour would not be taking lessons on women's equality from the Tories, she added.

It seems that "in the modern Conservative Party women should be seen and not heard," Harman said before "offering a bit of sisterly advice" to May not to "let him get away with it".

Hague then referred to the stab-vest embarrassment by saying that Harman's explanation was that she wears the appropriate clothing depending on the occasion - "so presumably when she goes to a cabinet meeting she dresses as a clown," the shadow foreign secretary quipped.

"If I'm looking for advice on what to wear the last person I would ask is the man in the baseball cap," Harman hit back, referring to Hague's ill-advised choice of head-gear when he was leader of the Conservatives.

"If she thinks her constituents might kill her, well she should look behind her," Hague retorted, before castigating her for saying that the tax burden was falling when most believe they are poorer than in many years.

Vince Cable was asking the questions for the Liberal Democrats but only managed one as his first enquiry in relation to the Queen's diamond wedding anniversary was judged out of order by Mr Speaker as it is not parliamentary to discuss such regal matters.

He used his second to ask about the state of the economy which looms over all political proceedings in these uncertain times.

The Verdict

Harriet Harman: 8/10 - Got the tone right and confounded low expectations.

William Hague: 7/10 - Some decent gags but surprisingly did not dominate.

Vince Cable: 6/10 - Blew his first question - probably much to the relief of Nick Clegg who was struggling to escape Cable's shadow.