A new documentary has revealed how much of Prime Minister's Questions is carefully co-ordinated to ensure easy inquiries.
An hour before Prime Minister's Questions each Wednesday, an email lands in every Tory MP's inbox.
It's from David Cameron's parliamentary private secretary, Gavin Williamson, and contains some "suggested" questions for the prime minister.
Every PMQs session features a number of ambitious Conservatives keen to push the party message. They put up with jeers from the Labour benches – who know the questions are planted – to win approval from their party whips.
But for the first time, the secret process behind the blatant strategy is being laid bare on television. Tory backbencher Andrew Percy is shown reading out one of Williamson's emails in new BBC documentary Inside the Commons.
He says: "It's just come through at 11.06, and these are some suggested topics that the prime minister would be happy to receive a question on."
These are the sort of questions that it is 'suggested' he may like to ask.
The OECD [Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development] has joined the IMF [International Monetary Fund] in forecasting that the UK will be the fastest growing economy in the world. Does the prime minister agree this proves our long term economic plan is working?
Does the prime minister agree with me that our long-term economic plan is giving more people who want to work hard the security of a regular pay packet?
David Cameron defended the tactic in the film, insisting it was all about putting out a "team message".
He told the programme: "In politics you've got to try and have a clear message and my team, there are some messages we want to get across.
"We want to explain we've got a long-term economic plan, we want to explain we're on the side of people who want to work hard.
"If you're saying it's appalling that Tory MPs should possibly use any of these phrases, I'd say politics is about the team putting across a team message and so people shouldn't be too worried about that happening in Prime Minister's Questions."
Tory MPs Stephen McPartland and Andrew Selous are both shown asking "friendly" questions about the state of the economy during PMQs.
Former Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy said the practice was "pathetic".
He said: "It's always so obvious. I just can't understand why anybody wants to get elected to the House of Commons and then just be handed a couple of sentences and told read this out.
"'Doesn't the prime minister agree he's doing a great job this week and will do an even better one next week?' What is the point?"
But Labour MP Sarah Champion admitted her party had a similar strategy.
She revealed that Labour MPs gathered before PMQs for "team strategy meetings".
"It's our only chance to hold the prime minister accountable so if we all go off on different tangents it's a bit chaotic," she said. "So it's more about making it focused, strategic, on target, giving him as much of a bashing as we can, basically."
Inside the Commons will air on BBC Two on Tuesday 3 February at 9pm. The four-part documentary features unprecedented images shot from the House of Commons benches.