The involvement of a fund linked to the Emirati government in a proposed purchase of the Spectator and Telegraph titles has sparked concern amongst Conservative MPs.
Given the polls, and the torrid time the Party has had over the past few months, it may be that this represents some sort of floor in terms of expectations.
Also: Further outrage over Ferguson Marine as embattled shipyard at the heart of the ferry fiasco is found to have paid generous bonuses to bosses – without the Scottish Government’s approval.
A frontbench mutiny such as this is extraordinary for a party on the cusp of power. Yet the Government keeps managing to keep its own crises front and centre.
The Prime Minister’s mooted emergency legislation seems unlikely to pass; even if it did, there is hardly time before the next election to get the policy operational.
He will likely be subject to more expert scrutiny than he would in the Commons – and if MPs want more opportunities to hold him directly to account, Parliament can create them.
This is not something that needs to be buried in any arcana about the Ministerial Code. Rishi Sunak does not need an inquiry to tell him whether he asked for changes to Suella Braverman’s article or not.
Also: Both Drakeford and Yousaf accused of misleading their legislatures over their WhatsApps as the Covid Inquiry seeks records from the devolved governments.
A crackdown on people evading a properly-funded shelter system might be fair – but only if that system exists. So if the Government is going to deliver it, why not focus on that significant, positive achievement?
Also: new polls suggest Labour has reached parity with the SNP in Scotland, and the projections indicate that the next election could be absolutely brutal for the Nationalists.
But if such a programme extends beyond stemming the flow of cash (or at least attempting to do so), it is once again going to come back to law and enforcement. And that is thorny ground.
One can give the police more legal powers, update the official definition of extremism, and all that. But it won’t produce different outcomes without a sea-change in how senior officers approach public order policing.
Also: Scottish Government urged to accelerate public sector reforms and overhaul council tax.
As is so often the case with international law and institutions, noble ideals bely a necessarily fractious and often shabby reality.
The Prime Minister’s rhetoric about being a man who makes the tough choices has not yet been borne out in his policymaking.