Labour have accused David Cameron of sexism after he told shadow Treasury minister Angela Eagle to "calm down dear" during heated exchanges in the Commons.
Defending his health reforms at prime minister's questions this afternoon the prime minister tried to quote former Labour MP Howard Stoate, a GP, who he said suggested support of NHS reform but was drowned out by Labour MPs.
The Opposition had reacted angrily to his implication that Stoate had left Parliament because he had been beaten by the Conservative candidate. He had in fact stood down voluntarily.
In an attempt to silence Labour's front bench he told Eagle: "Calm down dear, listen to the doctor."
The prime minister refused to apologise in the chamber telling the Labour front bench: "I'm not going to apologise, you do need to calm down".
Labour later called the remark "patronising, sexist, insulting and un-prime ministerial".
The row erupted after Ed Miliband attacked the government for overseeing a rise in hospital waiting times, which he said was a result of billions of pounds being diverted away from patient care to assist in the "costly reorganisation" of the NHS.
Cameron denied that waiting times had risen, to the fury of Labour backbenchers.
He told Miliband: "That's simply not the case. If you look at outpatient waiting times they actually fell in the last month so you're simply wrong about that, as you usually are."
Cameron was also accused by the Labour leader of "terrible complacency" over the economy which he said had "flat lined" during his first year in office.
Figures published today showed growth at 0.5 per cent in the first quarter of this year.
But Miliband told Cameron: "You've been prime minister for a year. You can't blame the Greeks, you can't blame the Bank of England, you can't blame the last government, you can't even blame the snow.
"Why don't you admit the six months of no growth is because of your decisions, your chancellor's decisions and your government's decisions?"
The prime minister said the figures out this morning showed the economy growing in the first quarter of the year.
He said: "They show manufacturing up, exports up and we have got 400,000 more people in work in the private sector than we had a year ago."
Article Comments
Angela Eagle needs to get a sense of humour so does the Labour benches. There was nothing wrong with Cameron's remark to Angela Eagle who has a mouth as big as The Blackwall Tunnel.
I was delighted by the comment. It's about time that so called sexist remarks were consigned to the dustbin. What the deuce is wrong with 'Calm down dear, listen to the Doctor.'
Please can we have humour back in public life. Political correctness has died a long awaited death. Please let us have no resurrection, my dears. BTW I didn't vote for Cameron, but might do in future so long as he doesn't apologise for a remark of jest.
Gerald Phillips
27th Apr 2011 at 7:21 pm
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