Summary
DENNIS the Menace struck again yesterday. In the wake of David Cameron's well-received debut at prime minister's questions in the House of Commons this week, Dennis Skinner - aka the "Beast of Bolsover" - clearly decided the Tories were wallowing too much in their leader's reflected glory. During Treasury questions, the 63- year-old ex-miner (and former club singer) went straight for the Conservative jugular.
Complaining to George Osborne, 34, the posh, button-eyed shadow chancellor, about how previous Tory governments had messed up the economy, he said, a finger prodding at the opposition front bench: "The only thing that was growing then were the lines of coke in front of boy George and the rest of the Tories." After a deep intake of breath around the chamber, Michael Martin, the speaker, puffed himself up and demanded the Derbyshire MP withdraw his remark. But Mr Skinner, once labelled "Her Majesty's heckler in chief" because of his regular caustic asides, refused. "That was in the News of the World and you know it, " he barked. Mr Martin tried again. Mr Skinner refused again. "No, I'm not withdrawing it . . . It's true, " he insisted. After another plea, the Speaker, his patience spent, told the recalcitrant MP: "I order you to leave the chamber." Mr Skinner duly walked. Yesterday was not the first time the left- winger has fallen foul of the rules in his 25 years at the Westminster coalface. In 1992, he was ejected for calling John Gummer, the-then Conservative agriculture minister, a "little squirt" and a "wart". Three years later, Betty Boothroyd, the-then apeaker, removed him for a day for accusing ministers of engaging in a "crooked deal" to sell off the coal industry.See the full content of this document
Extract
Menaced by the Beast
That was at least the ninth time he had bee...
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