The suspension of Bambos Charalambous today has taken the number of suspended whipless MPs up to 16, that’s 2 more than the 14 Liberal Democrats have left standing. Guido wonders if the independents might join together as a merry band of misfits…

If the assorted miscreant gropers, weirdos and sleazy MPs were to join forces and create their own party, the political gangsters could score a share of a massive million pound bonus, collecting more Short Money than the Lib Dems’ £929,590.68 annual allowance. They would be entitled to spend the money on pretty research assistants or whatever else took their fancy. Most of them have crashed to the end of their political careers, so what have they got to lose? They’d be laughing all the way to the bank…