Cameron in the Clear

As so often, a much-anticipated Commons occasion, with Prime Minister at bay, turned out be an easy triumph for David Cameron.

The main trap for the Prime Minister was the exchange of emails between his chief of staff, Ed Llewellyn and John Yates, the ex-assistant commissioner of the Met. Cameron’s explanation of that was clear: if he had wanted Yates to discuss the phone hacking business, it might have looked as if he were trying to interfere in the police investigation.

Good enough for most people and makes more sense than the conspiracy theories which none of Cameron’s critics can explain in simple language.

Ed Miliband made a huge tactical error. He went for detailed questions about this and that, ending with a ringing demand for him to … apologise for hiring Andy Coulson. Which he all but had.

Miliband should have claimed credit for forcing the Government to set up inquiries into phone hacking, for scrapping the BSkyB bid and for getting Rebekah Brooks to resign. And then made fun of Cameron for being useless with posh friends who he thought were influential.

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