The Speeches of the Year

It was the year in which Tony Blair stepped down, bringing MPs from both sides of the House to their feet for an unprecedented Commons standing ovation at the end of his last stint at the dispatch box.

The Liberal Democrats also said farewell to their leader Sir Menzies Campbell, who resigned less than one month after declaring that he was not too old to lead his party at the Liberal Democrat conference.

Gordon Brown took over as Prime Minister and Nick Clegg became Lib Dem leader - after a notable performance as best acting leader by Vincent Cable.

David Cameron remained in charge of the Conservatives - and delivered an unscripted 70 minute conference speech asking Gordon Brown to "call that election".

"We will fight, and Britain will win," he claimed at the climax of his oratory - yet election rumours were quashed soon after the conference season as the Tories shot ahead in the polls.

Contributions from the backbenches

The Labour Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee Tony Wright led a debate on standards in public life, admitting that Labour MPs had found it politically expedient to lie in opposition about the extent of Tory party sleaze.

A group of five former chiefs of defence staff rose in the Lords to berate the government's spending on the military and Gordon Brown's decision to put Des Browne at the helm of both the Ministry of Defence and the Scotland Office.

And during a debate on Burma, Conservative backbencher John Bercow delivered an impassioned condemnation of countries that continue to do business with the Burmese military junta despite their record on human rights.

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