It’s not plain sailing for the Conservative leader, however. As I wrote yesterday, Tory MPs were balloted over whether ministers would be allowed to attend and vote at the weekly 1922 Committee; a sensitive issue given that it was set up for backbenchers.
The result is through: Cameron has been backed by 168 votes to 118, proving that he is in control of his own party. Yet the fact that so many Tories were prepared to resist his overtures may well prove to be a telling signal for future trouble ahead.
Tim Montgomerie at ConservativeHome says the prime minister has “injected poison” into the party.
James Forsyth at the Spectator says:
Cameron will actually find it far harder to build a constructive and healthy relationship with his backbenchers, something that will be crucial to making this coalition work.
Jim Pickard
Kiran Stacey