Panic on Victoria Street

Seems like the Tories have managed to blow the huge moral authority of the Davis resignation pretty quickly.

Cameron says that he wants a 'permanent' from bench team (according to Sam Coates on the Times) and, with Dominic Grieve appointed to the Shadow Home Sec post, it looks as though DD will have to moulder on the backbenches when he is re-elected.

DD appears to have chosen this tack to try to head off moves by Michael Gove and George Osborne to lessen the Tories opposition to 42 days. He will now try to force Cameron to pledge to repeal the time frame under a Tory Government.

I think the Lib Dems are right not to stand a candidate. From a moral highground point of view, we oppose 42 days and an independent candidate standing purely on that footing is different from a Tory candidate standing on the basis of the party's entire manifesto (although at present only tax cuts for dead millionaires and the 42 days thing are actual Tory policies).

From a base campaigning level, the splits in the Tory party should be allowed to fester and us standing might do a tiny amount to reunite them.

Labour seem to be claiming that they knew about this all along - perhaps even engineered it. Certainly they are happy to have another Tory row to take the deals over last night's vote off the top of the headlines.

And there are strong hints from Denis McShane that Labour may well not stand either. With even UKIP split on 42 days (their only MP backed the Government despite party policy being opposed) then there won't be any candidate standing with any clear position against DD.