Oh, how difficult life is for a Prime Minister who’s lost pretty much all his political capital. Almost every major Commons vote becomes a potential landmine, threatening to blow a premiership apart. And so it is with the Government’s plans for Royal Mail. As today’s Times reports:
“David Cameron holds Gordon Brown’s political life in his hands after the Prime Minister’s decision to risk a Commons defeat over the Royal Mail sell-off next month, senior government figures believe.
Downing Street insisted last night that Mr Brown was determined to press ahead, despite weekend reports that he was preparing to shelve reforms championed by Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary.
His decision sets him at odds with his long-term ally Nick Brown, the Chief Whip, who has warned the Prime Minister that he has little or no chance of getting the measure through without Tory support.
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