GEORGE OSBORNE was greeted with almighty cheers from Tory MPs as he stood in at Prime Minister’s Questions.

Blue backbenchers, who, somehow, believe David Cameron to be insufficiently Thatcherite, can’t wait for the Chancellor to be crowned his successor to fulfil their cuts fetish.

But Osborne’s grip on his perceived birthright was dealt a blow yesterday when he came up against the son of Thatcher’s nemesis, Tony Benn, on his PMQs debut.