A MOTION to ban fracking which was originally considered to be a de-facto confidence vote in the UK Government has been defeated by 230 votes to 326.
Conservative whips initially stated the vote on whether to allocate Commons time to consider legislation to stop shale gas extraction was being treated as a “confidence motion” as pressure continues to mount on the Prime Minister.
However, after a series of Tory MPs signalled they would not take part in the vote, climate minister Graham Stuart told the Commons: “Quite clearly this is not a confidence vote”.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon demands election as Tory chief whip resigns amid government chaos
When Conservative MP Ruth Edwards asked to clarify if those Tories who abstain or vote against the motion will lose the party whip, Stuart added: “That is a matter for party managers, and I am not a party manager.”
The news comes amid a chaotic night in Westminster where the chief whip Wendy Morton and her deputy Craig Whittaker both left their roles.
Earlier on Wednesday, Suella Braverman left her role as home secretary and has been replaced by Grant Shapps.
Shadow Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband pressed Stuart, saying Tory MPs would “want to know” whether or not they were able to vote on Labour’s motion.
Miliband said: “For the guidance of the House, the minister said something very important from the despatch box. He said this is not a confidence motion.
“And I think his members will want to know that. If he confirms that, then members opposite can vote for our motion in the safe knowledge that they can be confident in the current Prime Minister, so can he just confirm that?”
READ MORE: Chris Bryant alleges MP 'manhandled' into voting with Government on Sky News
The climate minister replied: “Colleagues on this side of the House are perfectly clear. They are not going to surrender and they’re not going to allow the Labour Party to be a government for a day by seizing control of the order paper.”
The division list showed that 40 Conservative MPs did not take part in the fracking vote.
Not all of these can be considered abstentions, with some likely to have been on Government business.
Those known to be abstaining include Chris Skidmore and Angela Richardson who had earlier said they would vote against the UK Government.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel