Dear, oh dear, Cameron’s quip provokes outrage

The Prime Minister’s jibe – mimicking the famous car insurance advert starring Michael Winner – was directed at Shadow Chief Secretary to The Treasury Angela Eagle as she heckled him in the Commons.

Amid uproar from the Labour benches, Mr Cameron resisted calls for an immediate apology.

But a senior Labour source described the comment as “patronising, sexist, insulting and un-Prime Ministerial”, adding: “He certainly should apologise.”

A Downing Street aide tried to play down the row, saying: “I think you will find it is a popular advert. I think you are maybe over-analysing a humorous remark.”

Mr Cameron’s comment came as he defended his Government’s plans to reform the NHS, which he said were backed by former Labour MP Howard Stoate, a practising GP.

Ms Eagle, seated on the Labour front benches, loudly retorted that Dr Stoate had stood down at last year’s election, rather than being defeated as the PM claimed.

The Prime Minister told the Wallasey MP: “Calm down, dear, calm down. Calm down and listen to the doctor.”

As the Labour benches erupted in outrage, Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls angrily pointed to Ms Eagle and his wife Yvette Cooper, apparently demanding to know who the PM had been referring to, while party leader Ed Miliband appeared to call for an apology.

But the Prime Minister told them: “I said calm down, calm down dear. I’ll say it to you if you like ... I’m not going to apologise. You do need to calm down.”

Speaker John Bercow had to step in to quieten the Labour benches, saying: “There’s far too much noise in this chamber, which makes a very bad impression on the public as a whole.”

But Labour MP John Woodcock revived the row later, telling MPs the Prime Minister was “losing his rag because he is losing the argument”.