Tory tension over 'Brokeback coalition'
Updated on 24 July 2010
Overheard comments from the man David Cameron beat to the Conservative party leadership have revealed frustrations over the coalition - but others are keeping their heads down until there's a real issue to fight about, as Carl Dinnen discovers.
Speaking unguardedly at a lunch with ex-colleagues, senior Tory backbencher David Davis repeated a jibe that the David Cameron-Nick Clegg partnership was the "Brokeback coalition".
He said Lord Ashcroft had first suggested the comparison with the Oscar-winning film, Brokeback Mountain, about a gay relationship.
He also said the Big Society plans were "Blairite dressing", and added that the government "has a mechanism for dealing with the Liberal party, most of whom are inside the coalition. It does not have a mechanism for dealing with the Conservative party, most of whom are outside the coalition."
Financial Times journalists overheard the exchange at the Boot and Flogger pub in London’s Southwark.
David Davis, once shadow home secretary, was speaking in a personal capacity to former colleagues, but was clearly audible to the entire establishment, the FT journalists said.
His remarks reflect an unease said to be felt across the Tory rightwing that Mr Cameron has abandoned his own party for the sake of the coalition.
However, other Tory MPs who are thought to have gripes with the coalition were keeping their heads down today, perhaps saving their criticisms for a bigger fight over policy issues, Channel 4 News's Carl Dinnen said.
"Even right wing Tory MPs who have issues with the coalition seemed to be keeping a low profile today, perhaps not wanting to be associated with David Davis's risque characterisation of the government," he said.
"Those who would privately admit to misgivings suspect things are more likely to come to a head when there is an issue at stake - and more than one person told me voting reform could be just that."
Mr Davis has since said that the Brokeback comment was misheard.
His comments over the flagship Big Society policy suggested it was disguising plans to shrink the state.
"The corollary of the big society is the smaller state. If you talk about the small state, people think you’re Attila the Hun. If you talk about the big society, people think you’re Mother Teresa," he said.
Mr Davis resigned from the Tory front bench in opposition to campaign against Labour’s civil liberties policies, and also said he was enjoying the freedom of the backbenches.
He said it "would not hurt" the Conservatives if their coalition partners the Liberal Democrats split. Most of the rightwing Lib Dem MPs held "seats that should be Tory", he said, suggesting an electoral pact could see the Tories agree not to run against "20 or 25" such Lib Dems.
He said given the weakness of their party, this would be "an offer you can’t refuse" for a "guaranteed seat for life".
