AS Tory MP after Tory MP stood up to demand he fight for powers to be returned from the EU, David Cameron must have thought yesterday how charming it was that it was his own side doing this to him.

Almost every Conservative question to the Prime Minister at his weekly grilling session centred on Europe.

The sheer repetition of it all began to feel a bit oppressive. Had these politicians never heard of a simple 'hear, hear'?

Clearly only the uninitiated could think that their points all sounded the same, right down to the similar language and matching sinister tone.

The poor PM started to get quite flustered under all the pressure. In his confusion he started to fluff some of his lines.

If it had been deliberate he could be accused of trying to diss some of his colleagues.

He very nicely congratulated one MP for his many years as a supply teacher.

That was before he had to add that the man in question also had, of course, worked for a long time as a permanent staff member as well.

In response to a question from the honourable Sir Peter Tapsell, which in fairness went on for so long the chamber erupted into calls of 'take your time', he mistook the Father of the House for the Leader of the House.

Only the most mean-spirited of commentators would claim that with Mr Cameron's Cabinet it was understandable if he forgot some of them every now and again.

At one point it all go too much for on Labour politician who began to shout "obsessed" at the Tories sitting opposite him. Well, quite.

One Tory MP had asked the Prime Minister to show "bulldog spirit" in Brussels.

He will need plenty of that when he gets back as well.