Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen 11.00am BST The Conservative MP GEORGE FREEMAN, chair of the party’s policy forum, posted this on Twitter last night, in response to a tweet about Labour overtaking the Tories in a poll. Only surprised it’s taken this long. Parties that are divided, appear more interested in their own ideological battles than the public good, and fail to do the basics tend to fall behind. And lose. If we had a proper Opposition this would have happened months ago. https://t.co/AFB7lOrLrj 10.58am BST It’s known he will not be in the Commons to vote at 10 o’clock tonight against the expansion of Heathrow. It’s known too he will not be amongst the first to be preparing to lie down in front of the bulldozers flattening the land for the long runway. What is not known is whereabouts of the foreign secretary. Urgent business - a commodity to which Johnson has strong views - has taken him abroad making it impossible for him on this occasion to exercise his conscience. The promise to his Uxbridge constituents to prevent the sound of extra aircraft ruining their harassed lives lies fallow. The Commons will be deprived of a Cabinet level resignation on principle. The metaphors, the Greek references the relentless optimism, will also be missing from the chamber. Instead Johnson has emerged to be the victim of a diary clash, the last refuge of the ministerial scoundrel. Just as Jeremy Corbyn decided last weekend was the moment to visit a Jordanian refugee camp, rather than be available to attend the big Brexit demonstration, so Johnson felt an urge to jump on a plane. The foreign secretary need not vote against the party whip, and yet not quite break his promise to his constituents. Continue reading...
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