How Speaker Bercow cost Nick Clegg two hours of pain

The bust up between Chief Whip Patrick McLoughlin and John Bercow on Monday night (video below courtesy of The Telegraph) was all about the Government’s attempt to limit tomorrow’s debate on tuition fees to three hours.

The Government had put down a motion to achieve that end and Labour MPs wanting to object to it shouted “object” at the wrong time – a few seconds early.

If Bercow hadn’t encouraged then moments later to shout “object” again, the motion would have passed and the debate been limited.

Interestingly, last night the ‘three hour limit’ motion was on the order paper again but, when given the opportunity, the Government whip declined to move it.

Today we find another motion is down to be moved at about 7pm. But this time the motion limits the tuition fees debate to five hours.

That suggests that after the Mcloughlin/Bercow incident negotiations may have taken place and the Government been forced to concede a further two hours on the debate – two extra hours of excruciating discussion for Nick Clegg and his Lib Dem MPs.

Chatting earlier, a Labour MP argued that instead of sticking to rigid rules Bercow used his ‘common sense’ to interpret them – he knew Labour wanted to object, everyone else knew Labour wanted to object, they had signalled their objection and therefore Bercow took the objection.

But then again you might argue that as a direct result of Bercow’s intervention the Government has been put at disadvantage. As one colleague put it: “The Labour objection was outside the rules. If you are not going to obey the rules, why bother having them?”

Chief Whip talks on how to manage the coalition...

"I'm interested myself in how it's going to work – we are only at the start of a five-year Parliament and there are going to be many challenges that come along.

"With a coalition of two big parties you obviously have a broader line of support to bring together.

"It is inevitable that there are going to be times when we are taking measures jointly as a Government, but we will be whipping Tory MPs to vote for a measure taken by a Liberal Democrat.

"Yes it's going to be a challenge. But my job is always a challenge."

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Tory Chief Whip has a dig at shadow cabinet member?

It sounded like it today after Patrick McLoughlin found himself in an awkward position.

Last week David Cameron tasked the West Derbyshire MP to chair the Tory’s review committee – which will judge whether any Conservative MPs have put in excessive expenses.

But after details of McLoughlin’s allowances emerged in The Daily Telegraph yesterday he’ll now have his own claims reviewed by that very committee.

His allowances were by no means the worst, but he did receive thousands of pounds for maintenance and repair on his Derbyshire home over four years.

Defending himself today he told Lobbydog: “You need to find a balance with these things – I didn’t claim for gardening, I see that some people claimed for that, but I didn’t.”

It could of course be a swipe at fellow Derbyshire MP Margaret Beckett who famously tried to claim for plant pots and a pergola.

But far more profligate was pint-sized shadow leader of the house Alan Duncan – who “volunteered” to pay back some £5,000 in gardening costs last week.

The Chief Whip will be hoping Duncan doesn't add him to his hit list.