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Was it a watershed? After weeks of speculation and strife, this week we were treated to the spectacle of a Prime Minister trying to throw his restive backbenchers a bone.

Savaged in the populist press, the new draft deal on the terms of EU membership has been received with relatively little outright enthusiasm and a lot more head-scratching as strategists both amateur and professional seek to glean what it could mean for a future in-out vote.

Summoned unceremoniously to the Commons to discuss the settlement in advance of an appearance by his boss, Europe Minister David Lidlington defended its merits, while adding that work must be done on the “pull” of UK benefits.

Making his much-awaited Statement the next day, Mr Cameron stressed the significance of an exemption from the tentacular “ever-closer union” of Eurosceptic nightmares.

However, despite the furore of attention to the EU deal, matters domestic were weighing more heavily on the mind of Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn as he got to his feet for the weekly PMQs exchange.

Picking a perennial Labour theme for his dogged interrogation, the leader highlighted staff shortages and public health cuts, but was met with an equally predictable Conservative retort in the form on an onslaught against the state of the Welsh NHS.

Similarly standard in content, if lighter in tone, were Thursday’s Efra Questions, which saw ministers giggling their way through several softer inquiries on amusingly-named local foodstuffs deemed by their democratic representatives to be worthy of export promotion.

Elsewhere, it was a bullish week for those with an eye on matters financial, as disgruntlement over the Government’s backdated tax deal with Google manifested itself in both an emotive Opposition Day debate and a high-profile Treasury Committee hearing.

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell pulled no punches as he accused the Government of “the most supine capitulation to corporate interest”, while Andrew Tyrie and colleagues presided over a meticulous discussion that took in both practical anti-avoidance measures and the wider philosophical troubles of the corporate tax system.

Despite turning his own taxation vexation on retail giant Amazon during Thursday’s Business Statement debate, Shadow Leader of the House Chris Bryant was much incensed by the sudden appearance of a new set of Government proposals to be added to the Enterprise Bill.

In the second reading on Tuesday, ministers signalled their intention to bring forward new measures liberalising Sunday trading – further fuel for the fire of critics perturbed by its seemingly slapdash approach to scrutiny.

In addition, freshly-appointed future Chief Executive of the FCA Andrew Bailey was already making waves when he appeared before the Treasury Committee once more to marry the week’s biggest themes of economic performance and EU membership.

In a hearing that attracted numerous headlines, Dr Bailey was broadly welcoming towards what Mr Cameron had secured… but warned curious MPs that, as ever, “the devil is in the detail”.