Gordon Brown can be ponderous as a debater, but he's as sharp as a pin when it comes to spotting a weakness in something an opponent is saying, and on Monday, when the Tory MP John Maples used the phrase "the recession must take its course" in the course of questions during the G20 statement, Brown pounced immediately.
This was "a new position from the Conservative party", Brown said. Maples is the deputy party chairman responsible for candidate selection and his quote was valuable to Labour because it could be used to reinforce the perception that the Tories did not care about the victims of the recession. Brown used it again during PMQs yesterday and, according to Paul Waugh, Labour backbenchers were briefed to start regurgitating it ceaselessly.
Alas, Maples may have spoiled their fun. During business questions in the Commons today, under the pretext of calling for a debate on the economy, he apologised.
I would personally like to explain and apologise for a phrase I used on Monday, which was that the recession must take its course. I realise that may have caused offence to people who are the victims of the recession. I regret that. What I meant, and what I believe, is that the economy cannot recover until levels of private debt have been reduced. I do not believe, and I did not meant to convey the impression, that the government should not help victims of the recession. I fully support borrowing to do that.
Harriet Harman, leader of the Commons, told Maples that everybody would "take note" of what he said. But does that mean we've heard the last of it all from Labour? Somehow, I doubt it.
