Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

The party of little tykes

Whose fault is it that the Tory party is so rebellious? Some think it’s the beastly backbenchers, while others argue it’s the Tory leadership. I was amused to watch a beaming Brian Binley lead David Cameron into the 1922 committee on Wednesday, given the backbencher was only recently penning an angry letter to the press about how the Prime Minister was ruining everything. There will always be people like Binley in every party, and Downing Street has made very clear that it would answer his desire for a move to the right by staying firmly in the centre ground. But are there really are so many other Conservative MPs who started out as thorns in the flesh from their first day in Parliament?

Here are the MPs who have rebelled on the EU referendum vote last year, the House of Lords Reform Bill, and the EU Budget:

Within that group of naughty MPs are some very naughty ones indeed: Philip Hollobone, for instance, has voted out of line with his party in 22 per cent of divisions since May 2010.

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