Tory ministers will abstain on a knife crime amendment they support

The Commons will host another odd coalition situation this afternoon, as MPs vote on Nick de Bois’ amendment to the Criminal Courts and Justice Bill which introduces mandatory minimum sentences for repeat knife offences. Nick Clegg and David Cameron have agreed to waive collective responsibility for this vote. The Lib Dems who have publicly opposed this policy, will vote against. Tory backbenchers will be free to do as they please, as will PPSs, but ministers will abstain on the amendment.

This looks a bit poor: David Cameron has made clear that he supports the de Bois amendment, which is a means of bypassing the Lib Dems to get this policy onto the statute books. But Number 10 says the reason is that the Conservatives could not get agreement on supporting the policy, and as the normal convention when a government does not support a policy is to vote against it, ministers must abstain.