Appearing before Tony Blair's penultimate prime minister's questions, the PM's faithful sidekick John Prescott took to the despatch box to fend off William Hague for the last time.

Just as Blair used a recent speech to blame the media for pretty much everything that had gone wrong during his time in office, so Prezza turned his ire on the "penny scribblers" in the press gallery that had tormented him for so long.

The deputy prime minister's unique version of the English language, a physique that answers the football terrace query: "who ate all the pies?" and an ability to get himself into all kinds of colourful trouble have made him a sketchwriter's dream.

He may feel that he has been ill-used by the press but as the Sun's Trevor Kavanagh observed after the event: "He should think himself lucky - we could have made it a lot harder for him."

On to the main event, when David Cameron used all of his questions to torment the government over Lord Falconer's announcement that thousands of prisoners will be released early before they burst out of the country's jails.

The new justice secretary has been forced to take a deeply unpopular U-turn, having said only a month ago that he would not make such a move. It means that Gordon Brown will not be tarnished with the decision, even though some Blairites mutter darkly that it was the Treasury's refusal to give various home secretaries the money they needed to expanded penal provision that caused the problem.

Blair said that the reason there were so many more prisoners was that there had been a 25 per cent increase in sentences and that people were being recalled for breaching the conditions of their release - all good things, apparently.

Cameron had some success in pointing out that the government had been warned five years ago that unless something was done it was inevitable that overcrowding would result.

The Tory leader said the government was planning to release more prisoners this year than the entire prison population of Australia - this seemed completely irrelevant, unless he is suggesting exporting our criminals down under like the good old days.

If the prime minister thought he was over the worst once Cameron sat down, he hadn't counted on his own backbenchers.

Ken Purchase attacked academy schools by describing an exchange between schools minister Lord Adonis and financial backer Lord Harris in which the former is reported to have said to the latter: "do you want this school?"

Purchase asked if the the exchange was that of "21st century spivs." Blair's answer indicated that he thinks Purchase is not only last century but 1970 when it comes to education policy.

Sir Menzies Campbell then asked whether it could be right that private equity firms pay "a lower rate of tax than those who clean their offices."

Blair said a review would come up with recommendations on the issue before the next comprehensive spending review.

The Liberal Democrat leader's attacks seem to confirm that he will not be joining a Labour cabinet. Last time that particular rumour arose was when Blair was about to take office in 1997, so some things never change.

The Verdict

Tony Blair - 6/10 - Forced to say he regretted having to free thousands of prisoners.

David Cameron - 7/10 - Tried with some success to inflict maximum embarrassment over the above.

Sir Menzies Campbell - 7/10 - Question about billionaires dodging tax will strike a chord with average workers.