Back benchers are routed
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AS CM went to press it was clear that David Howell had virtually routed his backbench rebels.
Although two of the Government's main critics, David Crouch (Canterbury) and Roger Moate (Faversham) were abroad, it was clear that the combination of a 38-tonne limit, the dropping of a 34tonne limit for a four-axle unit and the ban on an increase in drawbar trailer weights was sufficient to persuade many of the others to switch sides.
Terence Higgins (Worthing) said he expected that only a handful of Tories would now vote against the detailed regulations, which were to be published at the end of this week, when they would come before MPs at the end of the year. He regarded Mr Howell's package as satisfactory although he would have liked more bypasses to have been given the go ahead.