When asked a question by Labour niggler Chris Bryant yesterday, Dave sulkily replied:

“The word I’m waiting for from him, because he introduced a point of order claiming that I had misled the House, is ‘sorry’. He has said sorry to everybody else… I think he has said sorry to the House in general but the person he accused of doing something wrong he’s not yet said sorry to. Until I get that apology, I think I’ll leave off the answers.”

With Bryant on the order paper for PMQs today, this could get feisty…

These are the letters that the Prime Minister had up his sleeve:

Dear Sir Alex Allan

You will be aware that I will this week be giving evidence to the Leveson Inquiry. As you know, I have decided not to refer Jeremy Hunt to you as I am satisfied that the relevant information about this issue has been established and I am content that he did not break the ministerial code.

Separately, I will be outlining to Leveson some of the initiatives this Government has taken to strengthen accountability and transparency as well as some areas where I am proposing future changes to the current guidance. These include the conduct of special advisers and the handling of quasi-judicial decisions and I would welcome your comments.

Yours sincerely

David Cameron MP

-

Prime Minister,

Thank you for your letter of 13 June. I note your decision in relation to Jeremy Hunt’s adherence to the Ministerial Code which is of course a matter for you. The fact that there is an on-going judicial Inquiry probing and taking evidence under oath means that I do not believe that I could usefully add to the facts in this case though I remain available should circumstances change or new evidence emerge.

On the broader issues I would welcome the opportunity to comment in more detail before the new guidance is finalised.

Yours sincerely

Sir Alex Allan

Not quite as clear cut as Dave made out, but it stumped Ed enough for a win at PMQs…

Two barrels for Balls…

Pic via @MatthewChampion

UPDATE: It had to be done:

Dessie Swayne, the PM’s PPS, has had issues with emails leaking before. The Sunday Telegraph got hold of his email to Tory MPs an hour before the PMQs battle. He gives them their orders:

From: SWAYNE, Desmond
Sent: 23 May 2012 10:58
Subject: PMQs

Comrades,

Given the ‘shivers’ of Christine Lagarde I hope you will agree with me that it will be appropriate for Ed Milliband to be greeted when he rises for the first time (there are no tributes to-day) with vociferous demands for an apology.

Last week we rather dried up as the half hour wore on, and comrades at the end of the order paper did not enjoy as vociferous support as they deserved, nor the PM’s responses to them: Please show sufficient stamina for full half hour.

Free hits on business successes from your constituencies are welcome.

The week before it was

From: SWAYNE, Desmond
Sent: 16 May 2012 10:45
Subject: PMQs

Comrades,

There are 2 free hits, but there may be more at the end as it is a relatively short order paper to-day.

I anticipate lots of LoL gags so let’s have a protective wall of sound. If Ed even grudgingly acknowledges anything positive in to-day’s unemployment figures then instantaneously bring down the roof ‘yereyereyere…”. Notwithstanding the unemployment figures I anticipate the main attack will be ‘recession made in downing street … eurozone avoided UK double dip … etc’ so can we have lots of positive endorsements of our strategy using local examples of export success/expansion.

We know this is a game played by both sides. It is embarrassing to see it in print. Another little sign that discipline is breaking down on Tory backbenches.