PMQs - The Verdict

With Labour's poll rating at a historic low, Gordon Brown cameto the chamber badly needing to start a serious fight back.

On Tuesday Alistair Darling did a lot to clear the ground bycompensating many of those adversely affected by the abolition ofthe 10p tax band.

Now it was Brown's turn, and prime minister's questions were thecurtain-raiser to the announcement of the government's newlegislative programme.

But before things got underway Bruce Forsyth arrived in the gallerymuch to the excitement of MPs - though this was no laughing matterfor Brown.

Mohammad Sarwar was up first, oddly asking the prime minister towish Rangers FC good luck in the Uefa cup final and condemn theBurmese junta for blocking aid to cyclone victims.

The prime minister managed to do both without mixing them up.

David Cameron got to his feet and suggested former home secretaryJohn Reid, now chairman of Celtic, might not be wishing the bluehalf of Glasgow luck in quite the same way as Brown had.

Nick Clegg then went on the attack over the government's botched10p tax rate abolition, saying that despite the chancellor's Budgetre-write, "a million of the poorest people in this country areworse off."

Brown replied by listing how many people had been taken out ofpoverty by the Labour government before Clegg drew hoots ofderision for getting worked up in his delivery of the secondquestion on the same subject.

Cameron asked about the housing minister Caroline Flint's document,photographed outside Number 10, that suggested house prices willdrop by 10 per cent despite the government publicly talking up themarket.

It was the beginning of an attack in which Cameron sought to brandBrown as a stranger to the truth only interested in short-termpolitical gain for himself.

"Yesterday we paid £2.7bn to keep the prime minister in his job -the least he can do is earn it by answering some questions," theTory leader said.

Brown hit back by repeating the worst aspects of the Conservativegovernment's economic record including when Cameron was adviser tochancellor Norman Lamont.

Cameron then returned to Scottish Labour leader Wendy Alexander'ssuggestion that Scotland hold a referendum on independence beforethe SNP's preferred 2010 date.

The prime minister denied there was any such plan and said that theConservatives were "endangering the union" by not backingLabour.

The Tory leader said: "Isn't a big part of his disastrouspremiership his failure to be straight with people.

"He won't be straight about the election, he won't be straightabout the European treaty, he won't be straight about the 10p taxlosers and even the one thing people thought he would care about -the Union - he won't be straight about that. Isn't that what we'reseeing? A prime minister putting short-term decisions in front ofthe national interest."

Brown hit back: "It's time to stop playing the salesman and startshowing some substance in policy," Brown thundered.

Most MPs then stayed in the chamber to hear whether Brown had anysubstance in his new legislative programme and whether it wouldsignal a change in the government's fortunes.

The Verdict

Gordon Brown - 8/10 - Came out fighting before announcinghis programme - only time will tell if it is a turning point.

David Cameron - 7/10 - Carried on with his missionto brand Brown's premiership "disastrous."

Nick Clegg - 6/10 - Still struggling to overcomethe jeering.