Appointments 3) Kennedy now Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at Health
The Prime Minister’s Parliamentary Private Secretary steps up to plug another gap in her short-staffed ministry.
Appointments 2) Cleverly joins the Department for Exiting the European Union
He takes over the role vacated by Heaton-Harris, who resigned yesterday over Theresa May’s decision to reach out to Jeremy Corbyn.
Appointments 1) Tomlinson now Minister of State at Work & Pensions
The Prime Minister has started filling some of the extraordinary number of vacancies in her ministry we identified this morning.
CCHQ accelerates candidate assessments, in an apparently urgent effort to address the shortage
They were caught out in 2017 with too few candidates on the list. Could this sudden urgency be a sign of an election in the offing?
Recap 2) The forty members of the payroll the Prime Minister has lost since the 2017 election
Some have stepped down due to scandal or ill-health, but the overwhelming majority are down to policy disagreements with the Government.
Recap 1) Nineteen posts vacant as May struggles to staff her Government
It is a telling sign that several PPS positions – usually the first step on the ladder for ambitious MPs – have gone unfilled since November.
The 14 Conservatives who enabled the Cooper Bill to pass by a single vote
It passed its Third Reading by a single vote. Now the former Labour Minister’s anti-No Deal Bill is off to the Lords.
Heaton-Harris resigns as No Deal Minister: “I simply cannot support any further extension to Article 50”
He praises the work done by civil servants to prepare for exit without a deal – and suggests the Prime Minister has not been fully informed of their progress.
Adams resigns: “You have decided a deal cooked up with a Marxist…is better than No Deal”
‘I profoundly disagree with this approach and I have therefore decided that I must reluctantly tender my resignation.’
May’s deal v other deals in a Commons run-off. The latest iteration of her Chicken Game. Her statement, full text.
“We would instead agree a number of options…that we could put to the House in a series of votes to determine which course to pursue.”
Indicative Votes Round Two: 4) Customs Union. 37 Tories for. 236 against.
Those who voted for the former Chancellor’s motion included Tobias Ellwood, Vicky Ford and Victoria Prentis.
Indicative Votes Round Two: 3) Common Market 2.0. 33 Conservatives for. 228 against.
Otherwise known as Norway Plus, those backing the move included Bim Afolami, James Cartlidge and George Eustice.
Indicative Votes Round Two: 2) Second Referendum. Eight Tories for. 235 against.
Those who supported the motion included Mike Freer, Edward Garnier and Margot James.
Indicative Votes Round Two: 1) Revocation. Ten Conservatives for. 260 against.
Those who backed the motion included Guto Bebb, Antointte Sandbach and Ed Vaizey.
Indicative Votes. Bercow selects four motions. All back either a Softer Brexit, a second referendum – or No Brexit at all.
That’s variously for a customs union; for a custom arrangement plus the Single Market; for a second referendum, and for staying in the EU.