Nigel Farage says he is talking to a Labour MP about defecting to UKIP. In today’s Sun on Sunday column, Guido reveals outspoken Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk is the name on people’s lips. Read all about it here.
Also in Guido’s column this week:
- Eric Pickles to the rescue in troubled waters off Clacton
- Future mum-in-law is no joke for quitting MP Chris Kelly
- Home Office – Downing Street conflict level “SEVERE”
- Tory MP Colonel Bob’s four-letter bollocking for Bercow
Join Sun+ on a free one month trial and read Guido’s column online here…
Douglas Carswell’s decision to do the honourable thing means we will likely be denied a box office showdown with the PM for a few more weeks. There is however a question for the departing Chris Kelly on today’s PMQs order paper:
Oral Questions to the Prime Minister
Q1 Eric Joyce (Falkirk)
Q2 Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South)
Q3 Stephen Metcalfe (South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Q4 Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East)
Q5 Mr Tom Watson (West Bromwich East)
Q6 Ms Diane Abbott (Hackney North and Stoke Newington)
Q7 Richard Drax (South Dorset)
Q8 Dr Matthew Offord (Hendon)
Q9 Dr Alasdair McDonnell (Belfast South)
Q10 Lindsay Roy (Glenrothes)
Q11 Jim Shannon (Strangford)
Q12 Karl Turner (Kingston upon Hull East)
Q13 Mark Menzies (Fylde)
Q14 Chris Kelly (Dudley South)
Kelly famously denied bursting into tears during his last showdown with Dave in 2010. And emotions are still running high among Tory backbenchers…
Tony “Baldrick” Baldry, Tory MP for Banbury since 1983 and parliament’s most senior Freemason, has announced he is off:
“After careful thought over summer recess & discussions with my family, I have decided to stand down at the next General Election. It is an enormous privilege to represent the people of N.Oxon. I’m grateful for the friendship & support from constituents over so many years.”
Baldry has an 18,000 majority so it will be hard to spin it as a conspiracy, unlike with last night’s resignation of 2010 intake right-winger Chris Kelly, whose 3,800 majority was under threat in the UKIP target seat of Dudley South. Kelly says he’s not joining UKIP but wishes Carswell the best…
9 Tory MPs first elected in '10 now retiring : Mensch, Lee, Burley, Weatherley, Kelly, Sandys, Fullbrook, Byles, Evans HT @tobyperkinsmp
— Nick Robinson (@bbcnickrobinson) September 1, 2014
Presumably standing down to spend more time with Nadine Dorries’ daughter.
HS2 second reading vote 452-41
— Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) April 28, 2014
26 Tory rebels on the second reading of the HS2 bill say Labour, plus one teller:
Steve Baker
John Baron
Bob Blackman
Peter Bone
Andrew Bridgen
Dan Byles
Bill Cash
Christopher Chope
Philip Davies
Michael Fabricant
Cheryl Gillan
Phillip Hollobone
Chris Kelly
Jeremy Lefroy
Jullian Lewis
David Nuttall
Mark Pawsey
Christopher Pincher
Sir John Randall
John Redwood
Laurence Robertson
Sir Richard Shepherd
Sir Peter Tapsell
Andrew Turner
Andrew Tyrie
Chris White
James Gray- Teller
Failing to vote for his own bill was one David Cameron…
Via Labour Whips.
Adam Afriyie
Andrew Bridgen
Douglas Carswell
Philip Davies
Nadine Dorries
Adam Holloway
Stewart Jackson
Chris Kelly
Julian Lewis
Stephen McPartland
Mark Reckless
Laurence Robertson
Andrew Rosindell
Martin Vickers
Tellers: Peter Bone and Philip Hollobone
Labour: Mike Gapes
Via @labourwhips
The number of Tory MPs to rebel was more than double the majority Dave lost his vote by, as was the number of Tory MPs who abstained or did not bother to show up to yesterday’s vote. Guido imagines that their excuses will be tested heavily today as the Whips and Downing Street try to work out how they got it so spectacularly wrong. Here is the full list:
Adam Afriyie
Henry Bellingham
Graham Brady
William Cash
Christopher Chope
Kenneth Clarke
Geoffrey Cox
Nadine Dorries
Alan Duncan
David Gauke
Justine Greening
Alan Haselhurst
Chris Kelly
Pauline Latham
Edward Leigh
Charlotte Leslie
Ian Liddell-Grainger
Jack Lopresti
Anne Main
Jesse Norman
James Paice
Priti Patel
John Redwood
Andrew Rosindell
David Ruffley
Mark Simmonds
Rory Stewart
David Tredinnick
Andrew Tyrie
Bill Wiggin
Tim Yeo
There are some obvious names on there for ill-health but some notable future leadership wannabes like Adam Afriyie, Jesse Norman, Rory Stewart are Priti Patel stick out. As does Justine Greening’s deputy at International Development Alan Duncan. Greening is in all sorts of trouble for “not hearing” the division bell, but it looks even weirder that her junior minister did not turn up either. It sounds like a series of cock-ups rather than anything coordinated though. Stewart – who advises the PM on foreign policy, Norman who is on the PM’s policy board and Ministers like Duncan and Guake will be joining Greening on the naughty step.
