Some would-be rebels switched sides at the last minute, while at least three others abstained.
The moral that many of his colleagues will quietly draw is that you cannot rely on the Conservative Party to treat you fairly if you run into trouble.
Plus: How many letters has Brady had? The tragedy of the death of Carl Sargeant. And: introducing my new podcast with Jacqui Smith.
“I have a response to the naysayers who say that it would be wrong to invest now. I say that it would be wrong to wait until the last moment.”
It would be prudent for that to become the presumption. Even if we do end up with a deal, infrastructure improvements will be welcome.
As an Under-Secretary of State, he will have to negotiate with the Chancellor, who is reluctant to commit large-scale resources to planning for No Deal.
May’s damaged authority is having a beneficial side-effect – namely, freeing Tory MPs to think aloud about the Party’s future.
There is time to correct the lack of preparedness of our customs and computers for 2019. But it is running out.
May needs to demonstrate that Whitehall is prepared – deal or no deal. Crossing one’s fingers and hoping for transition is not an alternative, or shouldn’t be.
To the claim that one can’t get ready for the unknown comes the answer that government must prepare for all eventualities.
She points to the opportunities to imitate New Zealand agriculture, and to crack down on big businesses which evade tax.
Every Tory I know is in politics to help the less fortunate, but we must get better at telling voters that.
The news is not all bad for supporters of Leave. But a weakened Government needs third party support to deliver not so much a Soft or Hard Brexit as a clean one.
I would propose that we pay a total of €12 billion as our “divorce bill” – even if there’s no FTA. But subject to three conditions.