TWO OF the Labour MPs at the heart of a botched plot to overthrow Tony Blair last month turned their sights on David Cameron yesterday by posting a spoof video of the Tory leader online.

Siôn Simon and Tom Watson produced a homemade video for the YouTube website parodying Mr Cameron’s own webcam internet site and ridiculing his efforts to appeal to voters.

But their intervention appeared to have been no more successful than their attempt to unseat the Prime Minister, as Mr Simon, who poses as Mr Cameron in the video, was condemned for offering viewers the chance to sleep with the Tory leader’s wife.

His impersonation of Mr Cameron, during which he also offered to give away one of his children to ingratiate himself with voters, was panned by users of the website.

The Conservatives also claimed it had backfired by prompting a surge of hits on Mr Cameron’s genuine “Webcameron” site as a result of the publicity generated.

The rumpus marked the opening of a new front in politics: it was the first time that YouTube, which enables people to post homemade videos online and was bought by Google this week for $1.65 billion (£880 million), became a battleground between political rivals.

When the video was featured on Sky News yesterday it prompted a chorus of criticism from all sides for the references to the Tory leader’s wife and children.

Jack Straw, the Leader of the Commons, said: “We have to ensure that political discourse is at a high level and avoid personal attacks.”

Peter Luff, Tory MP for Mid Worcestershire, said: “When you go over the top like this you bring all of us in politics into disrepute. Anyone in politics is fair game. But this goes beyond what is acceptable and Siôn should be thoroughly ashamed of himself.”

He added: “I just can’t believe that a fellow MP would stoop so low. It’s highly offensive.”

Mr Watson, MP for West Bromwich East, said: “It’s a great shame if people can’t laugh at themselves and politicians can’t be funny. This is a way of gently sending up David Cameron’s attempt to market himself to a younger generation.”

Mr Simon, MP for Birmingham, Erdington, said it was legitimate to ridicule Mr Cameron’s webcasts, adding: “They are empty and shallow.”

SIÔN SIMON’S YOUTUBE REVIEWS

How pathetic is this! It’s definitely put me off the Labour Party. Lets hope you have the guts to resign after this

Says a lot for Birminghan [sic] voters

Grow up, you’re not going to win any more votes by being a poor man’s David Brent!

Oh well, searched for it hoping that it would be funny, or at the least cleverly done. I was however disappointed

ok if it was funny but this is awfull [sic] ... the quicker ur knocked out of power the better

That’s about as funny as finding out you have a brain tumor it’s somewhat laboured

He’s sick. No wonder politicians are viewed as useless.

I’d be pretty offended if I [were] David Cameron — particularly given the bit about his wife and children . . . to see an MP do this is really a new low

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