Is George stepping up?

“Well, look, y-y-you can look at the detail of these things…”

Was the incoherent answer that Alistair Darling gave to the question of whether there should be a cap on bankers’ bonuses.

Both he and his yet-to-be nemesis George Osborne were interviewed on Marr this morning.

The preview shot of their interviews at the start of the show had an awkward feel to it – they had probably been hitting each other with rolled-up newspapers moments before.

But when the camera fell upon them for three or four seconds both looked to convey some sort of message in their face.

Darling must’ve got his expression wrong because he looked smug, while Osborne was so steely-faced I thought a throbbing vein in his forehead might pop.

This blog has given George a tough time over the appointment of Ken Clarke – which he’ll admit in his heart knocked his confidence – but today he did well.

He came across competent and confident and showed something he has sometimes lacked, maturity.

His plans for Bank of England reform were well put forward and he was comfortable talking about “correcting market failures” – which should be unbecoming of a Tory.

And on a day when news headlines focused on bankers’ bonuses he answered the crucial question properly. Should there be a cap?

“Yes. Is the short answer,” he said.

Moments later Darling gave his stuttering response to the same question and the difference was marked.

The Treasury has apparently told banks that executives associated with big losses “should” not get bonuses.

But the Government also told banks last year that they “should” start lending to small businesses and that hasn’t happened.