Clegg abandons Hunt

A firestorm has torn across Westminster overnight, since Nick Clegg instructed his MPs to abstain from today’s opposition motion demanding that Jeremy Hunt be referred to Sir Alex Allan, the ministerial standards supremo. Numerous Tory backbenchers have taken to the airwaves to condemn their perfidious coalition colleagues. The Mail has the most complete record of the rage. One MP vowed revenge on the liberals. Another described the abstention as ‘an act of war’ before Cameron and Clegg appear before the Leveson inquiry. And Peter Bone said that the Lib Dems ‘are not fit to be in government because they can’t accept collective responsibility.’

Downing Street tells a different tale. ‘There is no split,’ a spokesman said. Aides are quoted in many newspapers insisting that Cameron assented to Clegg’s case. His case appears to be that his party is not bound by collective responsibility on opposition motions, and that the leadership must take account of its MPs’ consciences.