An emergency meeting of the Interparliamentary Alliance on China’s (IPAC) genocide amendment’s organising committee has been scheduled for this afternoon, as leading advocate Tom Tugendhat is set to argue for a ‘compromise amendment’ to MPs on the committee. The group, made up of five opposition MPs and six Tories will hear his argument. IPAC organisers fear that the compromise Tugendhat wants to make has identical wording to an amendment the Government has circulated among a small group of rebels…

The compromise amendment would leave the determination of genocide with a committee of MPs, rather than the courts. Throughout the debates over this rebellion, Government ministers have argued fervently against leaving the determination to courts. Just last week Tugendhadt declared in the Commons that the charge of genocide “is not a tool for politicians to wield against trade rivals or enemies. It is a charge that can be wielded only by a Court.” Now he is arguing for an amendment that says the opposite. One source in the rebellion goes as far as telling Guido they fear Tugendhat has “sold out to the whips for a job”…

Tugendhat tells Guido that IPAC is jumping the gun, there is no agreement, and he is still in talks with the Government. Whilst no final text will be reviewed before this afternoon’s meeting, there is now a clear divide on whether it should be Parliament or the Courts which has the power to declare a genocide…