On-the-ball Tories outflank Labour – again

The government feels that the Iraq inquiry was a humiliation imposed by the Conservatives switching sides… calling for a “Franks-style” inquiry held in private, then outflanking the government, shamelessly joining the call a public one.

It’s the sort of thing oppositions do when they are on the ball, as Gordon Brown should remember.

Tonight, on a different topic, the Conservatives have done it again. Tomorrow brings the vote on MPs’ pensions: the government has a motion supporting a 7 per cent rise in what the government pays into the MPs’ pension a fund – a total of £750,000.

Not a king’s ransom but, some would argue, a pretty toxic addition to one of the best pension schemes in the country at a pretty sensitive time.

The government thought the Tories were backing them on this but tonight, sniffing the breeze, the Tories have done another outflanking maneouvre and withdrawn support for the government. Expect the government to retreat on pensions soon.