Cowley's thunderbolt

Just as Tories were becoming accustomed to a Ken Clarke come back University of Nottingham Professor Philip Cowley throws a spanner in the works.

An essay by the Nottingham academic, published on ConservativeHome, highlights Clarke as the most rebellious Tory MP.

He notes that the member for Rushcliffe's rating may be inflated by repeated rebellions during voting on the Lisbon Treaty – a harbinger of things to come.

Another interesting point is that if the Tories win with a majority at the next election then almost half of parliamentary party will be rookie MPs.