Smith's attack reveals frontbench firepower

JOHN SMITH and John Major fought each other to a draw across the Despatch Box yesterday as the Labour leader took off the gloves at Prime Minister's Questions in the Commons.

The exchanges were some of the most fiery since Mr Smith replaced Neil Kinnock last year, and were clearly an attempt by the Opposition leader to answer the criticism from his own back benches in recent weeks about his lacklustre performance.

Although some Tory MPs shared Mr Major's view that Mr Smith's attack on Norman Lamont was below the belt, they were given a glimpse of aggression from the Opposition leader which his supporters were waiting to see.

Tory MPs, including Thatcherite critics of Mr Major, regard Mr Smith as a disappointingly weak opponent. 'My wife and I saw Smith on the Frost (television) show on Sunday and couldn't believe it - he was so dull and boring,' one officer of the 1922 Committee said. That view is shared those in the Major camp. 'There hadn't been one occasion when we hadn't anticipated his question until last Tuesday. And that fell flat,' one said.

On Tuesday, Mr Smith asked Mr Major about the oil spillage in Shetland, when Mr Major had been briefed to expect questions on a range of other issues.

Both sides invest enormous effort in the twice-weekly sessions of Prime Minister's Questions, which have become the main televised head-to-head clashes between the two leaders.

In their last big debate before Christmas, some reports put Mr Smith ahead. 'If that had been followed by two or three bad PMQs, the PM would have been in trouble. But it wasn't,' said one of Mr Major's aides.

The Major camp believes that, in spite of claiming the scalp of Leon Brittan in the 1980s, Mr Smith's footwork is too slow. 'He hasn't learned to change direction during his three questions,' one source said. But what 'Slugger' Smith lacks in grace, he may make up for in punch. The two leaders are evenly matched.