Inside Politics: Terrible Tuesday

Sunak fails first test of authority over rebellion on planning reform as two MPs announce they won’t stand at next election and more allegations against the justice secretary, writes Matt Mathers

(PA)

Hello there, I’m Matt Mathers and welcome to The Independent’s Inside Politics newsletter.

Owen Paterson, the Brexiteer former Tory MP, is taking the government to court in Europe over an alleged breach of his human rights. You couldn’t make it up.

Inside the bubble

Our political commentator Andrew Grice on what to look out for today:

No time for Rishi Sunak to woo Tory MPs in the Commons tearoom after his weekly joust with Keir Starmer at prime minister’s questions. He will host a Downing Street lunch for Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African president.

A lively day on the select committee corridor will see Suella Braverman quizzed on asylum-seekers and on the police and Jeremy Hunt on his autumn statement.

The Supreme Court is due to give its verdict on whether the Scottish Parliament has the power to call an independence referendum without Westminster’s backing. Probably not.

Daily briefing

Terrible Tuesday

Sunak’s duel with Starmer at PMQs comes following another difficult day for the prime minister, who failed the first test of his authority from back benchers, was hit with the news that two young but senior MPs plan to stand down at the next election and more claims concerning the behaviour of alleged bully boy Dominic Raab, the justice secretary.

Last night Downing Street pulled a vote on planning reforms within its flagship Levelling Up Bill. The official line from No 10 was that the vote was axed due to a congested parliamentary timetable on Monday.

But according to reports, more than 40 MPs had been ready to flex their muscles and defy Sunak and the party whips. The government has a plan to build 300,000 homes a year but many Tory MPs hate arbitrary targets and want more control of decision-making at a local level. No 10 says the vote will take place before Christmas. It’s all starting to sound a bit familiar, isn’t it? Despite having a majority of 70+ the Conservative Party is about as governable as Hobbes’s state of Nature.

One of Labour’s main attack lines against Sunak so far is that he is weak, which is exactly what the party said last night when the news broke. Lisa Nandy, the shadow levelling up secretary, accused the PM of “running scared of his own back benchers”. Expect to hear similar lines from Starmer in the Commons chamber at lunchtime.

In recent months, poll after poll has shown the opposition with an apparently unassailable lead, with the Lib Dems also set to perform well at the next election. The numbers appear not to have been helped by Jeremy Hunt’s autumn statement and it looks as though some Tory MPs in marginal seats have already accepted defeat, preferring to fall on their swords instead of being ejected by the voters.

Senior Conservative William Wragg announced he will notrun again as an MP at the next election. Wragg, who chairs the Public Administration and Constitutions Affairs select committee and is on the executive committee of the powerful 1922 Committee of back benchers, has held the Greater Manchester constituency of Hazel Grove since 2015. Wragg bows out aged just 34. Ex-cabinet minister Chloe Smith, 40, also announced she will not run again.

As if that wasn’t enough bad news for one day, Raab is now facing multiple formal complaints from Ministry of Justice civil servants over allegations of bullying, which he continues to deny. It came following a separate report that an investigation into the justice secretary’s alleged behaviour would go beyond formal complaints.

(PA)

IndyRef2 latest

Wednesday is another huge one for the UK’s constitutional future, with Supreme Court judges set to rule on whether or not the Scottish government can hold a second referendum on independence without consent from Westminster.

A panel of five justices is expected to deliver its decision at 9.45am. The case was brought to the court after first minister Nicola Sturgeon set out plans to hold a second vote on independence on 19 October, 2023.

The Scottish government’s top law officer, the Lord Advocate, asked the court to rule on whether Holyrood has competence to legislate for the vote.

Almost everybody expects the Supreme Court to rule against, with Sturgeon herself putting her chances at around 20 per cent. But stranger things have happened and today will still be interesting to see what her response is if she loses.

Sturgeon will undoubtedly use any ruling against as a recruiting sergeant for her movement and has already vowed to run on the sole pledge of independence if things don’t go her way.

Today’s cartoon

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(Dave Brown)

On the record

PM’s official spokesman says Sunak is still committed to homebuilding plan.

“We want to work constructively to ensure we build more of the homes in the right places. That’s something that the department and the Secretary of State are very focused on.”

From the Twitterati

Jessica Elgot, Guardian deputy politics editor, on announcements by Wragg and Smith.

“Very striking that both Chloe Smith and Will Wragg are quitting at next election while both still so young - Smith is 40 and Wragg is 34. Their seats are at risk, yes, but they obviously feel their time in politics is over with the majority of their professional lives yet to come.”

Essential reading

• Sean O’Grady, The Independent: Is Keir Starmer’s Labour making peace with voters on Brexit and immigration?
• Jeremy Corbyn, The Independent: We’ve heard a lot about immigration – but we will not end cheap labour by dividing workers
• Christian Weaver, The Guardian:Awaab Ishak’s death shed light on a social housing scandal. Now we have a brief chance to fix it
• Daniel Finkelstein, The Times: Tories should act as if they’ve already lost

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