PM tries to play the right notes in the right order in Morecambe

The Prime Minister had wisely eschewed Davos in favour of Morecambe, the winner of round two of the levelling-up fund. On the beach, Michael Gove and local MP David Morris hopped around, imitating Eric Morecambe’s famous dance next to the comedian’s statue. Indoors, Rishi Sunak was doing an audience participation – PM Connect – which sounds like an out-of-hours service for the elderly, and, in many ways, it was.

In reality it meant fielding questions from a local audience, which Sunak worked with the air of a debs’ delight – all Brylcreemed quiff, smile spraypainted onto his face.

Everyone was “Sir” or “Ma’am”. He’d randomly enunciate words to inject enthusiasm. “I’m HERE in the North East to see levelling up in action!” he beamed. “The region that has done BEST… is the North!”

But today, at least, he seemed to be playing the right notes in the right order. Audience members thanked the PM as if he’d stumped up the cash for the Eden Project Morecambe himself. “Thank you for what you said, Karen, it was lovely” beamed Sunak to one complimentary questioner.

What a contrast with the mood back in the Commons, where poor Lucy Frazer had been sent out to answer an Urgent Question about The Fund. “The levelling-up fund has a clear and transparent process” she insisted, triggering squawked complaints from the opposition benches. MPS aired grievances about unsuccessful applications. Some attempted to out-do each other, Four Yorkshiremen-style, over the deprivation levels in their necks. (“You were lucky if you had a cardboard box… in my constituency”).

“Nothing for Stonehouse”, whined Alex Norris. There was palpable joy in his pronunciation of “the bottom 0.2 per cent of economic activity”.

Another major bone of contention was that the PM’S Yorkshire constituency had won out. “The Rishi riches of Richmond… having their mouths stuffed with gold!” bleated Alex Sobel of Leeds North-west.

But if he’d hoped for a Commons barney, Frazer was a poor fit – more in the customer-service mould than one likely to dispense Ciceronian fireworks. She calmly and blandly reminded Sobel of the Catterick infantry’s presence in the constituency, and the importance of ensuring “that people who serve our country are properly looked after”.

Back in Morecambe, and the PM’S beam showed no sign of letting-up, even as the cheery audience gave way to more disobliging questions from the press-pack. “Is growth now a dirty word for your Government?” asked the Mail. When could we expect those promised tax cuts, asked another?

Mr Sunak shot them a megawatt grin. “The Chancellor has been so generous today in funding all these things,” he gurned. “The last thing I’m going to do is comment on tax policy.”

That’s all well and good, Rishi, but it’s our money you’re being generous with.