Cameron survives Paxman

David Cameron announced last night that he still believed in liberalising Britain's drinking laws, despite having voted earlier in the week against the introduction of 24-hour licences.

The Tory leadership contender used the Government's argument that it was undesirable to have large numbers of drinkers emerging onto the streets at the same time. To those who might scent hypo-crisy, Mr Cameron said that the run up to Christmas was the wrong time to be "sending out signals" that might encourage binge drinkers.

His remarks were part of a lively BBC interview that almost never happened. Negotiations between BBC 2's Newsnight and the Cameron campaign were long and complex. A rumour spread that Mr Cameron was avoiding its attack-dog interviewer, Jeremy Paxman.

As late as yesterday morning, it seemed the confrontation would not take place as Mr Cameron's people objected to the BBC's choice of the hotel as it was "too baronial", playing on the idea of Mr Cameron as a toff. They settled for a more modern hotel.

A lighter moment came when Paxman reminded Mr Cameron that he was an Old Etonian, and read out a long list of dukes and earls on his family tree. "You don't exactly look like part of the solution," he suggested. Mr Cameron replied that "what matters is do you know what needs to change, not where you went to school."

The interview revealed he was able to withstand intense questioning. He made a number of good-humoured complaints about Paxman's continual interruptions. On one occasion he offered a deal: "Let me have two sentences, and then you can interrupt." But having competed two sentences without interruption, Mr Cameron could not resist adding, "and one more thing, if I may".

But the interview was less enlightening about policy and will not have answered those who claim Mr Cameron is all spin.