Good morning,
Conservative MPs are unhappy about the way Number 10 treats them and this poor party management is leading to an increase in rebelliousness. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee have published a report into food supply chains that warns of the effect a disorderly Brexit could have. We have an upcoming webinar about the EU Settlement Scheme in light of the pandemic. As usual a selection of recommended reading is included too.
Enjoy,
Jacob
PLAY
In Politics
Conservative Discontent
Backbench Conservative MPs are increasingly rebellious and unhappy with Number 10
Number 10’s party management is poor
This is leading to rebellions from MPs and u-turns from the Government
Conservative backbench MPs are an unhappy group at the moment. Number 10 is struggling to manage them and is seen to be ignoring the concerns of its MPs.
This Number 10 has been keen on centralising power throughout its tenure, for example when Sajid Javid resigned after being told to fire his special advisors by the PM, an unusual move as special advisors are usually under the control of the Ministers not Number 10. Furthermore, when the Department for Exiting the European Union was abolished, the responsibility for the negotiations of the future relationship between the UK and the EU was given to the Cabinet Office.
When the Conservatives won an 80 seat majority in the 2019 general election it was widely seen as impenetrable and the Government, and therefore Number 10, would be able to pass whatever legislation and execute the policy decisions it wished with minimal stumbling blocks. However the politics of this has changed over the last few months as Conservative MPs have become increasingly frustrated with Number 10s actions. This frustration makes the 80 seat majority more fragile in reality than on paper.
A Conservative party mismanaged by a centralising Number 10 has led to outcrys and rebellions from MPs followed by u-turns from the Government. MPs were angry about Dominic Cummings’ trip to Barnard Castle, have been annoyed about measures taken to tackle Coronavirus, and have rebelled over the use of Huawei equipment in telecoms which resulted in a recent u-turn by the Government.
A core issue Johnson is facing is the number of groups of MPs who are freer thinking than he may wish. There are MPs who are long term veterans who are potentially coming up to retirement and are unlikely to be made Ministers and are less afraid of the punishments (such as having the whip removed) because they are at the end of their political career.
When Julian Lewis gazumped Number 10’s power grab when they tried to place Chris Grayling as the chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee and became chair himself. His reward was to have the Conservative whip removed. MPs such as Lewis are more inclined to follow their own thoughts than the Party line because they know their political life isn’t going to continue for much longer and so the threats and rewards offered by Number 10 don’t work.
There is a bloc of Conservative MPs who have been in Parliament for a while since being elected in 2010 or 2015 who have stayed largely on the backbenchers and do not foresee that the current government is going to give them a ministerial position. As a result they are pursuing their own interests.
Meanwhile the new intake from 2019 contains the famous “Red Wall” MPs. These are often MPs who are in seats they didn't expect to win, with slim majorities, and are often not MPs who have spent their life toiling away in politics climbing the ranks of the party. They also entered parliament just before a pandemic that sent them all back to their constituencies, far away from the whips' reach meaning they could not be absorbed into the usual workings of Westminster.
These MPs are still Conservatives and think alike with traditional Conservative MPs more often than not but they are a bit more independent as a result of the slim majorities and their relative inexperience of Westminster resulting in potential for rebellion on issues close to these MPs hearts.
The conclusion of this poor party management and multiple blocs of MPs where the usual methods of carrot and stick are not working is a centralised government which does not have the numerical advantage in the Commons it thinks it does. The long term effects of this are worth thinking about. For now there has been little outcry from Conservative MPs about Brexit. Elected on a ticket of “getting Brexit done” they are currently satisfied. However as with the Trade Bill, when Jonathan Djanogly proposed an amendment to give Parliament powers to approve trade deals, there is scope for Conservative rebels. Only 12 rebelled on this amendment, and the Government defeated it, but this a number that could grow and cause issues for the Government and forcing them to make concessions. For organisations seeking to influence the parliamentary process, it is worth keeping an eye on this party management as the chance for amendments, such as the one on the Trade Bill, might occur again.
In Policy
Brexit Food Supply Shocks
Commons Committee published report into Covid-19 and Food Supply
Report and sector experts warn a disorderly Brexit could cause a bigger challenge to supply chains than Covid-19
Disruptions to supply chains could cause harm to food banks and vulnerable people
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee in the House of Commons published its report into Covid-19 and food supply. From evidence given to the committee by food supply sector experts, the report outlines that “28% of food consumed in the UK came from Europe” and that “we are still very dependent on a lot of imported food”.
Crucially the experts are worried that if the UK has a “disorderly Brexit, we potentially face a bigger challenge than the food supply chain faced in COVID”. The food supply chain in the UK operates on a “Just-in-Time” approach which can allow for greater freshness but when disruptions happen there is a limited amount of “buffer” in the food supply creating potential shortages.
The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice has previously said to the committee that “generally speaking, we are more confident than ever that we need not worry too much about the end of the transition period” and when asked if he was confident that the UK will be able to get food into the country whatever the future agreement between the UK and the EU is he confirmed he was “confident”
The conclusions of the report by the committee remained concerned stating that the Government can’t “afford to be complacent” as the disruptions from a disorderly Brexit “will pose different, and potentially greater, challenges altogether” than the challenges faced by the food supply chain as a result of Covid-19. It urges the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to learn lessons from Covid-19 and review its annual sector security and resilience plans as a result.
The concerns of the report and the food supply sector about a disorderly Brexit need to be taken onboard by the Government. As we have said before the UK Government has a lot of preparation to do before the transition ends. A disruption to the food supply as a result of a no-deal Brexit would be problematic for many, and especially vulnerable people who are already hit hard by Covid-19.
When a no-deal Brexit was a possibility last year there was widespread concern about the impact to the UK’s food supply and therefore the knock on effect on food banks and vulnerable people. Food banks have faced “record demand” as a result of the coronavirus. If the UK does not agree a deal with the EU the effects on food supply could cause significant problems for access to food for very vulnerable people. In the remaining months before the end of the transition period the UK Government needs to prepare measures to prevent this from happening.
In Events
The EU Settlement Scheme in the light of the Pandemic: What needs to change?
Thursday 6th August
11:00 to 12:30
Evidence from front line organisations shows that the Covid-19 pandemic has created and exacerbated a number of issues with the EU Settlement Scheme. Some EU citizens holding pre-settled status have reported being refused Universal Credit. Other EU citizens returned home and with restrictions on non-essential travel, are at risk of breaking their continuous residence requirements. Meanwhile many citizens, particularly the most vulnerable, struggle to safely access the scheme at all.
The Brexit Civil Society Alliance has recently coordinated a letter from civil society organisations to the Home Secretary setting out these concerns and steps that need to be taken to address them. In this webinar we will be joined by some of these organisations and expert speakers to discuss the problems EU citizens and their families are facing, what changes to the EU Settlement Scheme are needed, and what organisations and individuals can do to help.
Why Democracy Matters: People Power! A collective response to reform
Thursday 5th August
17:00 start time
Under 35’s only!
Unlock Democracy will be exploring how big decisions are made in UK politics and how that process should work in a healthy democracy. They will be joined by Thorvaldur Gylfason and Valeria Cárcamo Vidal who will be giving an international perspective from Iceland and Chile about how people power and movements for systemic change can build pressure on the government to act.
Alliance Survey
The Brexit Civil Society Alliance in its current form will conclude in January 2021.
Since the formation of the Brexit Civil Society Alliance in 2017 (then the Repeal Bill Alliance) we have been working together with civil society organisations to protect rights and standards and advocate for transparent lawmaking that places limits on executive powers and respects the devolution settlements during the Brexit process. We have done this through facilitating information sharing, regularly convening civil society organisations, coordinate joint policy asks, responding to Brexit legislation and engaging with policy-makers.
We are currently exploring what the role and shape of a UK-wide civil society alliance post-2020 may look like. We are therefore seeking the views of our members and civil society organisations in our wider networks and would welcome your ideas and suggestions as part of this survey. It is available here and closes on the 14th August.
Recommended Reading
A look at the UK’s approach to state aid rules in the FT
Rachel Reeves outlines the Labour Party’s approach to Brexit in LabourList
Are the EU powers returning to Westminster a “power grab” or a “power surge”? An insight by the House of Commons Library