The Verdict

There was a skittish mood at prime minister's questions thisweek, with Conservative MPs almost hugging themselves with gleefollowing Labour's hammering in the local elections.

An aggressive-looking Gordon Brown may not have worn the defeat onhis sleeve, but it was painfully evident from the subdued Labourbenches.

The Tory leadership is no doubt pursuing an anti-gloating strategy,but David Cameron has been buoyant all week - and today was noexception.

Cambridgeshire MP Shailesh Vara began pummelling the PM by askingBrown if, as the only person in the House with experience ofunseating a prime minister (perhaps unaware he shares the bencheswith a good chunk of Margaret Thatcher's cabinet), he would giveMPs his own estimate of how long he has to go.

Brown resorted to his default strategy, one he had to use a lotthis week - Labour's record on employment, poverty, investment inthe health services - with a rather half-hearted cheer from his MPsafter each one.

Brown welcomed the new mayor of London, Henley MP Boris Johnson,who had moved from his usual spot near the back closer to the frontbench.

Cameron got to his feet to say he was sure that Brown would have a"fruitful relationship" with Johnson, allowing a Labour wag a biglaugh for asking "will you?"

The best-placed barb was unlikely to puncture Cameron's mood thisweek, and he replied "indeed" before trying to exploit thedifferences between Brown and Scottish Labour leader WendyAlexander over a referendum on independence.

He accused Brown of losing control of the Scottish party, while theprime minister said that all Alexander had been doing was exposingthe SNP for going against their manifesto.

This incensed the SNP's MPs, with Stuart Hosie shouting it was"absolute rubbish" for some time afterwards.

Cameron tried to thread together Brown's problems over Scotlandwith the government's policy of releasing prisoners early to freeup prison places, and post office closures.

Despite Brown's promise to "listen and lead" after last week'sdefeat, Cameron said he showed no leadership on the Union, and hislistening exercise was just "empty words".

In a greatest hits of attacks on Brown, he went on to mention theelection-that-never-was and his lack of vision.

Brown came back with some of his own tried and tested slings,saying the Tories planned £10bn of tax cuts, risked a black hole inpublic spending, and "no amount of slick salesmanship can obscurethe fact that there is no substance in anything the Conservativessay".

Brown has been using this phrase a lot recently, so Cameron hadprobably prepared his effective answer: "He's got nothing to selland he's useless at selling it."

The Tory leader then turned things unusually personal: "This is theprime minister that went on American Idol with more makeup thanBarbara Cartland, he sits in Number 10 Downing Street waiting forShakira to call, waiting for George Clooney to come to tea.

"I've got a bit of advice for him, why doesn't he give up the PRand start being the PM."

Brown could not believe former marketing man Cameron was trying toaccuse him of style over substance, but he struggled to deliver aneffective answer beyond saying voters faced a choice between "aLabour government that delivers and a Conservative Party that justtalks".

If Brown had so far been spared his troubles over the 10p incometax, Nick Clegg obliged by quoting former home secretary CharlesClarke's call for clarity.

Clarke excelled himself in causing trouble for the government thisweek, being quoted by both Clegg and Cameron.

Brown said the letter from Alistair Darling to the Treasury selectcommittee was good enough, adding dismissively "I would havethought the Liberal party would have been prepared to wait".

Clegg said this was "not good enough" and it was a "matter ofprinciple - remember those?" Adding to the confusion over who spinsand who has substance, he said: "When it comes to helping the mostneedy, he has got no principles and the Tories have got nopolicies".

Brown's responses never rose much above an aggressive insistence onLabour's economic record, and a sense of humour and lightness oftouch might have done much to help.

When Tory Mark Lancaster asked him how much it cost to fill up afamily car in his constituency and when he had last had to do it -a silly but crafty question to ask a prime minister, who clearlynever fills up their own car - Brown took it seriously, soundingout of touch by talking about the price of a barrel of oil, beforeeventually plumping for £1.10 a litre.

The verdict

Gordon Brown: 4/10 - Showed dogged determination,but painfully reliant on worn-sounding lines

David Cameron: 8/10 - Merrily ran rings roundBrown, occasionally stopping to punch him on the nose

Nick Clegg: 6/10 - A plague on both yourhouses, but where is this strategy going to lead?