Yesterday, the Queen’s Speech cleared Parliament with every amendment defeated. This shows that Theresa May’s £1bn deal with the DUP is working when it comes to votes on key legislation. However, as Isabel notes, while it can govern in a technical sense, it cannot guarantee that it will get what it wants in the Commons.
In order to prevent a Tory rebellion on Stella Creasy’s abortion amendment, the Chancellor had to grant a concession for free abortions for women from Northern Ireland. So, how do the whips intend to stave off future rebellions in the House? The DUP agreement means that the Conservatives have a working majority of 13 when it comes to votes on key legislation. With the numbers so tight, it takes just a handful of Tory MPs to either be away or be sympathetic to the opposition’s amendment and the government faces defeat.
In order to deal with the former, Conservative MPs have already been given strict instructions about their movements during term time.
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