Plan B rebels have safety in numbers

In rebellion, there is safety in numbers. At some point, if enough backbenchers are going against the party whip there is a limit to what those enforcers of party discipline can threaten. There is also the fact that after such a large rebellion, there must be an attempt to bring the party back together: which means there can’t be a blanket bar on promotion for rebels. The Tory uprising against the government’s Covid Plan B has easily passed this tipping point: the whips can’t blackball 75 MPs. This means rebellion is more likely to grow than shrink.

Tomorrow, Labour can exploit this to the full. They’ll be able to highlight how these measures are only passing because they are supporting them, increasing the discomfort on the Tory benches. It is uniquely damaging to a Prime Minister’s relationship with his own party to rely on opposition votes to get his business through.