The Government was defeated in this evening’s vote on Dominic Grieve’s proposal that a named list of advisers should publish their private correspondence, by 311 votes to 302. The motion was proposed under Standing Order 24, the mechanism for backbenchers to seize control of Commons business.
No Conservative MPs rebelled in the vote, although some former Conservative MPs voted in favour of Grieve’s motion: nine who now sit as independents, two who now sit as Liberal Democrats, and one from the ever-changing TIGfC (The Independent Group for Change, since you didn’t ask):
Independents
Heidi Allen
Guto Bebb
Nick Boles
Ken Clarke
David Gauke
Justine Greening
Dominic Grieve
Sam Gyimah
Oliver Letwin
Liberal Democrats
Phillip Lee
Sarah Wollaston
TIGfC
Anna Soubry
Interestingly, there was evidently a degree of divided opinion among the former Tory MPs sitting as independents. Seven of them – six of whom lost the whip last week – voted with the Government:
Independents
Richard Benyon
Steve Brine
Greg Clark
Charlie Elphicke
Stephen Hammond
Caroline Nokes
Rory Stewart
In addition, one Labour MP voted with the Government, against the motion:
John Mann
The remaining former Tory MPs who lost or resigned the whip last week – Philip Hammond, Richard Harrington, Margot James, Anne Milton, Amber Rudd, Antoinette Sandbach, Nicholas Soames and Ed Vaizey – did not vote.