The night before prime minister's questions Tony Blair had been assured by his whips it was safe to miss a vote on the religious hatred bill.

Go home and watch the repeat of the BBC documentary on the history of drinking in British politics, he might have been told.

Blair's predecessor, William Pitt the younger, was said to have been on at least two bottles of Port a day whilst Asquith lent his name to the term "squiffy", so fond was he of partying.

In the programme Blair was shamed by his lack of heavy drinking, though no one could of blamed him for imbibing when he heard that his absence had led to the government being defeated by one vote.

After that excitement it was back to the chamber to face his critics, and those were just the ones sat beside and behind him.

If anyone had more reason than Blair to dread prime minister's questions it was chief whip Hilary Armstrong, who had failed to ensure the presence of 15 Labour MPs who had been out campaigning in the Dunfermline East by-election not to mention sending Blair home prematurely.

If she hoped to blend into the green benches unnoticed then David Cameron soon disabused her of that notion. "I've noticed the chief whip is a little quieter than usual," he observed.

It brought to mind Cameron's debut when he had told a far more animated Armstrong to "stop shouting like a child". It may go some way to explain Blair's loyalty to her as it looks bad to sack someone the leader of the Opposition has singled out for criticism.

"I think she must be the first chief whip in history to put the prime minister in the frame for losing a key vote - which is an interesting career move to say the least," Cameron went on.

If Armstrong was having a hard time it was nothing compared to the telling off one of her deputies got from the Speaker, who told him to stop leaning on his chair, stop shouting and "attend to his own duties".

Blair got up to calls of "resign" from the opposition benches. They quickly shut up when Blair paid tribute to the latest two servicemen killed in Iraq.

Cameron wisely sought to exploit the government's discomfort over the lost votes the previous night and pointed to the more serious issue that a repeat rebellion could cost Blair his public service reforms and his job.

The PM used a probably well-rehearsed bit of self-deprecation in a bid to diffuse the issue. "I think for the education vote it's probably a good idea if I turn up," he quipped.

Blair responded to Cameron's criticism of his programme by quoting conflicting statements by Cameron on selection in schools. It was a tactic he used last week and is already beginning to sound a little tired.

Cameron's next line of attack was on the environment, which the Tories are determined to be associated with as part of their rebranding.

The exchanges sounded a bit flat and didn't really go anywhere but Cameron needs to mention the subject now and again or risk being accused of merely playing lip service to issue.

Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell asked the PM about Iran in a return to his foreign affairs specialism.

Despite his apparent expertise and experience Sir Menzies had to read every line from his briefing note and looked distinctly uncomfortable.

Blair gave him short-thrift and seemed on firmer ground than when dealing with Cameron.


The Verdict

Blair - 6/10: Not a bad comeback after the embarrassment of the night before.

Cameron - 7/10: Cleverly exploited the government's weakness while trying to shift his own party's image.

Campbell - 5/10: Steadier on his feet than Kennedy but about as deadly.