Why sewage is driving Tory MPs round the bend

Why are Tory MPs having to take so much crap over a vote about sewage? The past few days have seen a tsunami of fury against the Conservative party for voting in favour of water companies dumping sewage in rivers and the sea. Most Conservative MPs weren’t even aware of what the offending vote was, so were doubly surprised to be on the end of so much constituent and social media rage. They then had to ask colleagues what on earth was going on.

What is going on is that last week the Commons was considering changes made by peers to the Environment Bill. One of those amendments, tabled by the Duke of Wellington (this story has both an incredible number of puns that write themselves and also a range of slightly improbable-sounding characters), would have forced water companies to ‘take all reasonable steps’ to stop pumping sewage into rivers and the sea when there is a large amount of storm water overwhelming their treatment plants.