Cameron faces Tory fury on Lib Dem ministerial rebellion

Last week when it first transpired that David Cameron had given up on Lords reform, Conservative backbenchers were thrilled. Conor Burns, who resigned as a PPS to vote against the legislation at second reading, told Coffee House that this was a ‘symbol of [Cameron’s] determination to try to foster improved and friendly relations within the Conservative party’. Rebel leader Jesse Norman was similarly cheery. It suggested that the Prime Minister had a chance to rebuild fractured relations with his party. Not any more. Backbenchers are now livid that Nick Clegg has announced that he will be instructing his party to vote against the boundary review. I’ve just spoken again to Burns, who said:

‘As someone who resigned from the government in order to vote against something that the government was proposing, and who watched a colleague being sacked by the Prime Minister for doing the same thing, it now sticks in the throat to listen to the Deputy Prime Minister saying that he will instruct his colleagues to vote against a government policy and that there will be no disciplinary action taken against government ministers who vote against the government in which they serve.