TIMES ONLINE: David Cameron was facing his first backbench rebellion today over a plan designed to make it more difficult for the Opposition to force a general election if his new coalition Government is defeated in a vote of confidence.
A number of Tory MPs, including one who is a frontrunner to become chairman of the powerful 1922 Committee, warned the Prime Minister that his plan requiring a vote of at least 55 per cent of MPs for Parliament to be dissolved before the end of its five-year term would undermine the “primacy of Parliament".
Charles Walker, the Conservative MP for Broxbourne, said the plan was simply being introduced for the “con-Parliament”.
“It is not the duty of Parliament to prop up this coalition. That is the duty of the coalition partners and if they can’t make it work and if they lose the confidence of Parliament then we must have a general election. It is a simple as that,” Mr Walker said. >>> Philippe Naughton | Friday, May 14, 2010
