It used to be the catchphrase of a commercial starring Michael Winner for e-sure car insurance (they are terrible btw) and has now turned into a major political row when the PM used the phrase referring to a female member of the opposition.
The Labour party has, of course, accused him of sexism and being condescending to women, others are saying that Labour have no sense of humour and that it is just a catchphrase, albeit a poor one.
So is it demeaning or do Labour have no sense of humour? Is it acceptable to use "dear" or "love" in this way.
Spoiler (mouseover to read):
Of course, he has used the phrase before in Parliament, only last time, it was aimed at David Milliband, decidedly male, who was a Labour cabinet minister when it happened.