GEORGE Osborne is frequently criticised for having no Plan B for his economic recovery policy but the same complaint cannot be made of David Cameron. Not only does the prime minister have a bagfull of Plan Bs he has Cs and Ds as well.
In the House of Commons yesterday he was accused by the Conservative MP Nadine Norries of initially encouraging her amendment to the Health and Social Bill -- designed to take away the right to give advice on abortion from charities which provide medical abortion services -- but he made clear in the debate that he was now opposed to the amendment, which was defeated in a free vote by 368 to 118. Liam Fox and Iain Duncan Smith were the only Cabinet ministers to vote for the amendment. In the event a pressing engagement with Herman von Rompuy, the EU President, prevented Mr Cameron from voting. How convenient.
It was a very messy debate. Labour's Frank Field who had originally supported Ms Norries had a last-minute Plan B moment after the government had said it was ready to examine the issue. When the Health Minister Anne Milton spoke she said she wanted to implement the spirit of the amendment which was so decisively defeated.
The confusion was such that Ms Norries felt entitled to claim that she had lost a battle but won a war.
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