Government faces disaster over Bills as time runs out

John Major's plans for a grammar school in every town are likely to be wiped out along with several other important measures after a series of humiliating parliamentary defeats.

As the Government struggles on without a majority in the Commons, there may be more defeats to follow those it has suffered in the past two months. Already, plans for police bugging, minimum sentences, tighter gun laws and education reform have been hit, and extra parliamentary time will be needed to get them through.

Other proposals which could be at risk include plans to allow drug companies to employ GPs and moves to clamp down on housing benefit fraud.

The Education Bill, which suffered two defeats in the House of Commons, is very unlikely to survive intact if a Lords vote in two weeks' time goes against the Government. MPs twice voted against plans to allow grant- maintained schools to expand without permission, and if peers do not reverse the changes the Bill will almost certainly run out of time.

Ministers may be happy to cash in on the shambles, blaming Labour for thwarting their desire to increase selection in schools. Plans to give extra powers to opted-out schools could also be lost, though Labour is keen to keep new discipline measures in the Bill.

Even if the election does not happen until 1 May, a number of other measures could be lost as time runs out. The Government is likely to be forced to horse-trade with the Opposition to save any Bills which have not completed their progress before Easter. None of the Government's Bills has met with complete opposition from Labour this year, though parts of several have been disputed.

Among the plans which have been opposed are proposals in the Primary Care Bill, which could allow drug companies to hire doctors. Proposals to clamp down on housing benefit fraud have also been attacked by Labour, which says they are not tough enough on landlords who try to cheat the system.

However, some of the Bills which have suffered defeats are almost certain to survive. The police bugging measures will be supported by Labour after a Government climbdown, and the party also broadly supports the idea of minimum sentences. The opposition has also supported the gun control measures which followed the Dunblane massacre and has backed the Government on them against the pro-shooting lobby.

Labour sources are reluctant to say precisely which proposals they would like to jettison in a pre-election trade-off because they do not want to show their hand too early. However, the Education Bill is certain to be among their prime targets.

The Conservatives are heading for defeat at the Wirral South by- election, according to an opinion poll published this weekend. A MORI poll for the Mail on Sunday showed that 54 per cent of voters in the constit- uency planned to vote Labour, compared with 35 per cent for the Conservatives and 10 per cent for the Liberal Democrats.

The 17.5 per cent swing would transform the Conservatives' 8,183-vote majority in 1992 to a 7,400 majority for Labour.