It was that morning-after-the-night-before feeling, with MPs surveying the damage left behind by the votes on Lords reform. As they inspected the wreckage, it was clear there would have to be a rebuilding operation to salvage the reputation of themselves, the Commons, the Government, Robin Cook and Tony Blair. At Prime Minister's Questions, Labour backbenchers looked on, sullenly, as they wondered whether the whole government edifice might be in danger of imminent collapse.

No one on the government front bench appeared to be talking to each other. Mr Cook – sandwiched uncomfortably between Tony Blair and Hilary Armstrong, the Chief Whip – looked daggers at both. He clearly blamed them for throwing spanners in the works. Gordon Brown, absent during the previous night's acts of constitutional vandalism, sat smugly with the expression of "nothing to do with me, guv".

The fall-out provided an easy opportunity for Iain Duncan Smith to heap buckets of rubble over the head of Tony Blair. "The Prime Minister said: 'Labour will abolish the House of Lords and replace it with a democratically elected second chamber'. Has the Prime Minister kept that promise?" As with all bad workmen, who ignore the architect's plans, blame their tools and drone on about joists, cavities and footings, Mr Blair was still working from the 2001 manifesto plan to "build on the Wakeham Commission proposals". IDS, the disgruntled customer, harrumphed against bodger Blair's "personal promise" to fix the House of Lords' century-old dry rot.

The Opposition Leader's anger and exasperation then led him on to complain about removal men. "In the same manifesto the Prime Minister promised to remove more than 30,000 failed asylum-seekers a year." Mr Blair responded by wriggling on the previous question before admitting that "no, it is correct we have not attained 30,000 removals a day – a year rather". But what is a slip of the tongue to builders or politicians? After this sorry tale of devastation and destruction many wondered whether it was wise to bring on the Government's very own Bob the Builder, in the shape of John Prescott, to make a statement on housing. Mr Prescott is known to do destruction best – firemen, railways, motorways. Now this political bulldozer is to be let loose on the construction of new towns all over the South-east.

At least he will be living up to his pledge, repeated yesterday by his Tory shadow, David Davis, that "the green belt is a Labour achievement and we intend to build on it". There was more of this, such as: "We will move towards pooling housing spend in regional pots". All that was missing was that this promise should be set in concrete.

mrbrown@pimlico.freeserve.co.uk