Prime Minister's Questions LIVE blog

END OF PRIME MINISTER'S QUESTIONS

12:32 A Tory backbencher asks if Mr Brown if he has "lost his moral compass" by bringing Charlie Wheelan back into the fold, despite him being involved in the Damian McBride email scandal.

12:30 Brown compares today's recession with that of the 1990's under the Tories. He says the only policy the Conservatives have is to "go back to the 1980's".

12:28 Brown claims Labour have taken a million pensioners out of poverty through its reforms following a question from Lib Dem Simon Hughes. Brown also says the government has doubled funding of the NHS.

12:26 Labour MP Lindsey Choyle asks Mr Brown to outlaw scam trading targeting older people. Is not already illegal?

12:24 More talk of government investment from the PM - he adds that under the Tories "unemployment would rise".

12:22 Another Labour MP asks if the government will put in more public investment. Brown again points to today's drop in unemployment figures.

12:20 Brown says the government will not force Dover port to be privatised following a question from one of the town's MP's.

12:19 Brown says the government has been encouraging banks to lend to small businesses following a question from Conservative John Redwood.

12:18 Something of a planted question from a backbencher asking if the budget next week will focus on investment rather than cotowing to the City.

12:17 Clegg accuses both parties of blocking reform on funding political funding. Brown responds saying the Tories blocked reform. Clegg accuses Brown of "re-writing history".

12:16 Nick Clegg and says "Charlie Wheelan and Lord Ashcroft are the same" - provoking shouts from the other parties.

12:15 Things calm down a bit in the chamber as a backbencher asks the PM about maternal deaths worldwide.

12:14 Brown accuses Cameron of attempting to provoke the dispute rather than resolve it. He also mentions the fall in unemployment reported today as proof his government was doing something positive.

12:13 Cameron describes Labour as "a wholly owned subsidiary of Unite" and says he can "only act in the union interest not the national interest".

12:11 Cameron accuses Brown of "caving in to unions". Brown says the Tories should encourage the government to broker a resolution between unions and BA instead of making it a party political deal.

12:10 Cameron says Brown is taking us "back to the 1970's". Brown accuses Cameron of "opportunism".

12:09 Cameron calls Brown's response "weak" and asks Brown to call on BA workers to break picket lines. Brown responds saying he should encourage workers and management to come to a deal.

12:05 David Cameron asks Mr Brown when is it the right time for British Airways cabin crew workers to strike, following Mr Brown earlier saying now was "not the right time" for a strike. Mr Brown said it was important to bring Unite and BA together and that it was not wise to bring an industrial dispute into the Commons.

12:03 The PM is questioned by a backbencher on his claim that defence spending increased when he gave evidence to the Chilcot enquiry. Mr Brown conceded that defence spending increased in cash terms but not in real terms, raising shouts from the opposition.

12:00 PM pays tribute to three soldiers killed in Afghanistan in the last three weeks and to Labour MP Ashok Kumar, who died unexpectedly last week.

What to look out for

The Conservatives have been making much in recent days of the Labour party’s connections with trade union Unite and its political director Charlie Wheelan. Unite is the union behind the coming British Airways strike. It has also provided the Labour party with 25 per cent of its funding over the last few years, saving it from bankruptcy.

The union has also been accused of “buying” influence by funding the re-election campaign of various cabinet ministers, including Gordon Brown himself. A significant number of Labour candidates are also believed to be members of Unite.

Brown’s closeness to Charlie Wheelan may also come under scrutiny, with Mr Wheelan being a regular visitor to Number 10 and a former advisor to the Prime Minister. He was also involved with the Damian McBride email scandal.

The Conservatives attack comes after an embarrassing period in which the party was accused of being in the pocket of Lord Ashcroft, a non-dom who has been funding the Conservative party and received his place in the house of Lords thanks to the previous leader William Hague.

Lord Ashcroft was accused of failing to honour a pledge to Mr Hague to become a resident in Britain for tax purposes. Neither Mr Hague nor Mr Cameron knew of Mr Ashcroft’s tax status until recently, casting doubt on their judgement.

The economy is likely to get a mention after figures released today showed unemployment falling by 33,000 people to around 2.45 million. While the Conservatives and Lib Dems are unlikely to bring it up, Mr Brown may use it as evidence that his government’s policies are helping Britain emerge from the recession.

Questions may also be asked about the government’s Children’s Commissioner who has come under fire for describing the brutal murder of James Bulger as “unpleasant”. She has subsequently apologised, although the mother of James Bulger called for her to be sacked for her comments.

The Opposition may attempt to ridicule the government for shelving a policy requiring dog owners to get their pets insured. The government proposed the policy just a week ago in a bid to stop dangerous dogs being used as weapons, but the idea faced strong opposition from law abiding dog owners who said while they would be forced to pay the cost of the actions of a minority, that minority was unlikely to pay attention to the new rules.