Imagine the situation.
You are a Liberal Democrat peer.
You have voted for several measures you did not like because they were in the Coalition Agreement.
You have now seen the Conservative Party walk away from a major part of the agreement.
You now know your place in Parliament is secure for a good few more years without the party’s whips being able to hold over you anything about your fate when reforms kick in, even if they should wish.
How do you think you are going to vote on future issue after issue that is in the Coalition Agreement but not the LibDem manifesto?
The troubles for the Tories with the Lords, where they do not have a majority, are not resolved by today’s news. They have only just begun.
* Mark Pack has written 101 Ways To Win An Election and produces a monthly newsletter about the Liberal Democrats.
