The government has been taken by surprise by a disparate alliance led by a string of former ministers
When Tory MPs went public this week with their plans to thwart Boris Johnson’s decision to cut foreign aid, Downing Street was caught by surprise. While tensions have been bubbling ever since the plan to reduce the aid budget was first set out by the chancellor last year, the assumption in government has been that its majority of 80 would be enough to get it through.
This has proved overly optimistic. As the numbers opposed became clearer, the government has been trying to dodge a vote on the matter. But the rebels appear to have found a way to bring the issue to the floor of the Commons using the legislation for Dominic Cummings’ pet project, the Advanced Research and Invention Agency, as a vehicle for an amendment on foreign aid. “The spectre of Cummings is never far away,” complains a member of government.
