THERE was a definite porcine flavour to PMQs as the revenge of Ashcroft continues to get up the rather elevated nose of the Tory toff; once said in his youth to have placed a certain part of his anatomy in a dead pig’s mouth.
The SNP’s champion for Aberdeen South, Callum McCaig, made mention of a “pig in a poke” but it was Labour’s Kevin Brennan, who caused Dave’s crimson tide to start rising.
The Welsh MP questioned whether the PM was “telling porkies” over the billionaire peer’s tax status and when precisely he knew about the Tory benefactor being a non-dom, that is, a tax exile. The peer said he mentioned it in 2009 but Flashman insists he only knew about it in 2010.
"Clearly someone is telling porkies. Is it you or Lord Ashcroft?" snipped Kev.
Shaking his head, the PM rose, suggesting the comrade could find better use of his time than reading Call Me Dave.
"I managed to procure a free copy and in order not to give anyone royalties, I'll gladly lend you a copy if that's what you'd like,” quipped the PM, adding: “You'll remember in this House, Labour and Conservative agreed to legislate so that non-doms could not sit in either House; legislation I fully supported and, indeed, suggested at the time."
But, of course, this did not answer Mr B’s question.
Later, No 10 insisted that the PM had been “asked about this. He has answered it on a number of occasions; there is nothing to add". But, of course, he hasn’t; which, of course, leads some enquiring minds to think our great leader has something to hide.
A Labour source noted, with some glee, that Jezza was “very keen that the Prime Minister gets better at answering all questions".
Indeed, during another calm and assured performance at the dispatch box, the hairy Leftie sought to patronise the PM when, after asking about tax credits and getting Dave’s response, he said: “The PM is doing his best – and I admire that.”
Then, after an exchange on housing, the chief comrade quipped to Labour cheers: “Could I bring the PM back to reality…”
Later, Mr McCaig took the PM to task over the levy to help apprenticeships and asked would Scotland “receive our fair share of this funding or are we seeing another pig in a poke from this supposed one nation Government?"
The Nat MP sat down, looking rather pleased but Dave had a comeback, noting how the Government had not yet, er, set the rate for the levy or, indeed, had set the size of business which would pay it.
"As ever with the SNP, they invent a grievance before it even exists," noted Flashman.
Surely not.
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