Boris Johnson faces a moment of danger as Tory discipline collapsed into chaos and MPs were given a free vote on whether to refer the Prime Minister to a parliamentary investigation for lying.
With the Prime Minister on the other side of the world on a trip to India the government dramatically pulled an amendment to a Labour motion referring Johnson to the powerful Commons privileges committee.
Facing a potential mutiny from Tory MPs being forced to defend the Prime Minister from claims he misled the Commons the party granted a free vote on the Labour motion with just minutes to go before the debate kicked.
With Commons leader Mark Spencer confirming Tory MPs will have a free vote on the Labour motion rather than the there line whip they were expected to follow, Boris Johnson will almost certainly face a privileges committee investigation into whether he misled the Commons.
Asked about the whipping arrangements for Thursday afternoon's business, Mr Spencer said: "The Prime Minister has indicated he's keen for the House to decide on the business later today.
"The vote on the unamended House business will be a free vote to all Conservative MPs and that'll be the case this afternoon."
Angela Rayner, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, called on Tory MPs to "do the right thing" and back the Labour motion.
She said: “This is humiliating for Conservative MPs who were being pressured to vote for the government’s cover up amendment. The government knew they couldn’t win this, the Prime Minister is bang to rights.
“Tory MPs should do the right thing, respect the sacrifices that their constituents made during the pandemic, and vote in the national interest.”
As she spoke Tory MPs, previously under the impression they were on a three-line whip, abandoned Westminster for their constituencies and the debate got underway.
To sign up to the Daily Record Politics newsletter, click here.
This is a breaking news story - we’ll bring you the very latest updates, pictures and video as it happens.
Follow the politics team on Twitter @Record_Politics and the official Daily Record account @Daily_Record - real news in real time.
We’re also on Facebook - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Daily Record, Sunday Mail and Record Online
Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.
