Tim Montgomerie has some excellent intelligence on ConHome this morning that Francis Maude is about to gain a new PPS. The Cabinet Office Minister’s former aide was Angie Bray, who was sacked after voting against the government at the second reading of the House of Lords Reform Bill.
But Maude’s replacement PPS, Stuart Andrew, is also a rebel. He was one of the 81 who defied the three-line whip in the autumn to vote for a backbench motion calling for a referendum on Britain’s relationship with the European Union. As Tim points out on his blog, this is a sign that rebels might still have a hope of a job in the forthcoming reshuffle.
Now, it’s worth remembering that Andrew rebelled on a backbench motion rather than government business, so any of the 91 who revolted on Lords reform may yet remain personae non gratae in the Prime Minister’s eyes.
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