With David Cameron laying into him over a series of scandals and Vince Cable humiliating his one-time friend with stinging put downs, recent PMQs have been more bruising for Gordon Brown than a few rounds with Ricky 'the hitman' Hatton.

But this week was different, perhaps because the dodgy donations row has run out of steam - for the time being - but also because all parties decided it was in their interests to alter their styles.

The prime minister was less easily riled, better briefed and more on message, while Cameron seemed not to want to appear the bully and Cable decided to ditch the jokes for economic analysis.

Last week the acting Liberal Democrat leader's comment that Brown had gone from "Stalin to Mr Bean" brought the House down and laments in many quarters that he wasn't succeeding Sir Menzies on a permanent basis.

This week Cable seemed to have decided he did not want his brief tenure to be known for his one-liners and he asked a worthy if dull question about the temporary nationalisation of Northern Rock (although I for one don't remember anything about nationalising banks in the Orange Book).

Cable knows his stuff when it comes to macro-financial management but it is also an area Brown is not unfamiliar with and he was happy to get his revenge, saying to Cable that he is "better at jokes than he is at economics".

Earlier Cameron had ranged from the committee on standards in public life, the investigation into party funding, the "part-time" defence secretary, to sentencing and prison policy.

On the donations row Brown seized the agenda and was eager to spread the responsibility and paint the Conservatives as the roadblocks to reform for refusing to engage in talks on party funding.

The first question from Tory backbencher Brian Binley led Brown to say: "We have made proposals to legislate on political funding on the basis of the Hayden Phillips report with national and local limits on spending both at elections and between elections and that includes a cap on donations and transparency. I hope the opposition will return to the talks on this matter."

This was the point he was going to get across and the performance became like one of his classic Today programme appearances of old when as chancellor he would go on with one line and bludgeon John Humphrys with it.

Cameron opened by trying to broaden the issue of trust by asking Brown when he was going to appoint a chairman of the committee on standards in public life.

Brown must have had an inkling this was coming and was able to retort that the appointment was being "made today".

The prime minister brought the subject back to reforming party funding, pointing out an apparent contradiction between Cameron and Theresa May on the issue.

The Tory leader changed tack and ask why Des Browne was only a "part-time" defence secretary combining the job with that of Scotland secretary.

Brown defended Browne and reminded Cameron that the proposal to combine cabinet roles was a commitment in the Conservatives' 2001 manifesto (Number 10 have definitely been doing their homework more thoroughly).

The prime minister also said that defence spending had gone up in real terms and quoted shadow chancellor George Osborne as saying he would "resist" calls for additional spending on defence.

Cameron then moved on to prison places, or rather the lack of them, and suggested that Brown had failed as chancellor to live up to his responsibility and adequately fund jail building.

The leader of the Opposition made it topical: "I know that he wants us to think that like the man in the canoe he hasn't been around for the last five years but he was the chancellor of the exchequer who failed to build the prisons."

If Brown thought he had finally neutralised the dodgy donations carping there was still time for Tory backbencher Greg Hands to have a go.

He asked: "With three different police investigations underway, with two members of his cabinet and his protege in Scotland falling foul of the law and his general secretary facing charges, is that what he meant when he said he was a 'conviction politician?'"

The verdict

Gordon Brown: 7/10 - Better briefed, on message and kept his temper.

David Cameron: 6/10 - Probably a good idea to drop the bullying tone but scattergun approach lacked focus.

Vince Cable: 6/10 - Gag-free, he came off worse in a tussle with Brown over nationalising Northern Rock.