Party politics

The 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers has always valued its independence and insisted on its right to criticise Conservative governments; its weekly meetings while the House of Commons is sitting provide a quick and frank check on how policies and performance are being viewed in the constituencies. Many of the Committee's 250 members are rather right-wing and, for instance, don't like policies favourable to gay marriage or reform of the House of Lords.

Tomorrow the annual election of the officers of the Committee will take place in a tense atmosphere as it has emerged that a group of younger pro-leadership MPs called the “301 Group” will attempt to gain significant influence. It is being said that these “modernisers” want to see less criticism of David Cameron in the Commiittee's discussions, an intervention that is being interpreted as an attempt to silence the “old guard” of MPs at a time that the prime minister and his cabinet are coming under considerable criticism from inside the party. Mr Cameron has form with the 1922 Committee.

Shortly after he was elected two years ago he proposed that for the first time ministers should be able to attend Committee meetings in order to brief on policy developments; this was only reluctantly accepted on condition they would be invited, not attend by right, and would not participate in the Committee's elections.