Blair slams Cameron in Queen's Speech debate
Wednesday, 15 Nov 2006 19:15
The House of Commons will debate the Queen's speech all week
Prime minister Tony Blair launched a devastating attack on leader of the opposition David Cameron this afternoon, using his last ever Queen's speech debate to defend his policies and attack those of the Conservatives.
In a packed House of Commons, Mr Blair contrasted Mr Cameron's "flyweight" political techniques to the "heavyweight" clout of a future Labour leader.
"As much as he dances around the ring he will [eventually] come within the reach of a huge clunking fist," Mr Blair said to raucous cheering from his own benches, before adding that Mr Cameron would be the "fifth Tory leader to be carried out [with] a fourth Labour government still standing".
Political analysts have said that the "heavyweight" comment refers to chancellor Gordon Brown, who gave Mr Blair a grateful pat on the back as the prime minister sat down from the despatch box following the reference.
It came at the end of a long speech in which Mr Blair defended the legislative proposals outlined in today's Queen's Speech, which focused on the theme of "security in a rapidly changing world".
The prime minister insisted that it was right for UK forces to continue serving in Iraq, saying that "I believe our task is to stand up to terrorists". He said that as the UK only provided two per cent of the world's carbon emissions, it was right for Britain to press for international action. And on pensions he said that it was time to implement the "good framework" provided by the Turner report.
On crime, migration and security, Mr Blair was on solid ground, claiming that the "nature of crime is changing" and that "the traditional view of liberty and security in our judgment has to change".
But on crime he faced criticism from opposite number Mr Cameron, who accused Labour of turning away from "the politics of hope" towards "the politics of fear".
Mr Blair rejected this claim, saying that it was important to be "realistic" and that the country faced a "genuine terrorist threat".
The two party leaders continued to barb each other throughout the debate. Mr Cameron said that the prime minister was using "fear to cover up his failures", adding that "the only good ideas in the Queen's Speech are our ideas".
Mr Blair rejected this suggestion, while MPs on the government benches made plain that they too disagreed.
"He spends most of his time trying to avoid difficult decisions, but when he is forced to decide he decides wrongly," the prime minister said of Mr Cameron, before making his clearest endorsement yet of the man the Conservative leader is likely to face at the next election.