Fifty-three Conservatives opposed the tiering plan last December, the largest Covid-related rebellion to date.
The pace of departure, the allegations about him and how they’re being handled are all inextricably linked.
The tellers for the Noes were Christopher Chope and Chris Green. The last major Tory rebellion against Government Covid policy was 53 strong.
Duncan Smith names “five giants”: family breakdown, worklessness, serious personal debt, addiction and educational underachievement.
Rob Stark meets a bloody end in Game of Thrones. But he won every battle he fought first – and the Greater Manchester Mayor is following his example.
That’s the biggest Tory revolt so far on a virus-related division, and enough potentially to defeat the Government in future.
In vino veritas: talking to voters in pubs usually works. We saw how four of these five contests could be expected to play out.
Our message, and our approach to the issues in the cities, needs to be improved.
The logic of his position was that the UK was leaving by March 29th. It hasn’t changed. The Government’s has. So he’s gone.
Meanwhile, the Government has quietly been appointing more trade emissaries during the last few months.
That’s ten gone from the front bench or CCHQ – and it would be surprising were there not more today.
Is the Witney MP’s decision a one-off, or part of a co-ordinated plan – with more to come? Downing Street and the Whips will be searching for an answer.
Onward, FREER, the revitalised CPS. The Tory MPs involved in all these will have to take some risks if they’re to get off the groumd.