Tory MPs threaten trouble for PM over EU bill

Tory MPs might have appeared keen to support the PM after his surprise EU bill when they spoke in the Commons this afternoon. But behind the scenes the party is in a pretty precarious situation. Open unrest is being held back by two things: a realisation among backbenchers that they do need to hunker down as a by-election approaches and the General Election draws nearer, and the Prime Minister’s pledge that ‘we are not paying a sum anything like that’. But neither is guaranteed to keep critics quiet forever.

Backbenchers point out that the current party loyalty at the moment is motivated by a desire to beat Labour – and a belief that the Conservatives really can do that. ‘What’s the point of being loyal for six months if you think you are going to lose: it’ll be each man for himself,’ predicts one MP, who believes that many MPs would start to think they were going to lose if Britain found itself forced to pay a significant bill, even if the Prime Minister had secured a reduction.