Ministers aren't just preparing for Coalition divorce, they're organising arguments with their partners too

Reports today that the Conservatives are wargaming end-of-Coalition scenarios in the event of the Lib Dems leaving early won’t come as a surprise, given the bickering over the past few weeks on snooping, childcare and Europe. But in the interim, ministers are also trying to work out how both parties can practise a sensible differentiation policy without appearing to squabble endlessly for another two years.

Nick Clegg spoke about the need for sausage machine government before Christmas, with a call for honesty about the difference between the two parties on policies as they were being developed. He has annoyed Theresa May something rotten by sticking to that principle on the Snooper’s Charter (and the Times reveals some angry letters that flew between the two on this). But that was a good example of gory government. A bad example is the row over childcare, where both sides are arguing as much about who said what as they are about the policy itself.