Miliband ‘doesn’t dare mention the economy’ after Darling row

DAVID Cameron has taunted Labour leader Ed Miliband for failing to mention the economy during Prime Minister’s Questions.

Tories claimed yesterday that Mr Miliband avoided the subject because of a book by former Labour chancellor Alistair Darling, in which he criticised the now shadow chancellor Ed Balls and his party for not having a “credible policy” at the election.

Mr Cameron arrived at PMQs yesterday with a copy of the book, which he put on the Commons dispatch box in full view of the Labour front-bench, with bookmarks clear from pages he intended to quote from.

But despite the fact that the Chancellor George Osborne admitted this week that the prognosis for the economy was “choppy”, amid continued problems in the eurozone, Mr Miliband used his six questions to fire shots over the coalition’s reforms of policing and the NHS in England.

“Why don’t you do the right thing for the future of our public services and scrap both of these disruptive and dangerous plans?” asked the Labour leader.

The Prime Minister responded: “Isn’t it interesting that he doesn’t dare, in six questions, mention the economy?”

DAVID MADDOX