Did Boris's whips go too far?

Jan 21, 2022, 05:45 PM

After Christian Wakeford's defection to Labour, Boris Johnson looks to be in the clear – for now. The Prime Minister's backbenchers, though, are still frustrated by the aggressive tactics used by his whips to ensure their support. Is blackmail normal in the Commons, and are their complaints a result of Parliament's generational divide? Cindy Yu speaks to James Forsyth.

'If you had turned up in Westminster in the 1970s, you would find whips pushing people up against the wall. I don't think that goes on today.' – James Forsyth