David Cameron versus the Conservative Party, again

How close did the Conservative Party come to backing Gordon Brown over extending detention without trial to 42 days?

From the voting figures (only one Conservative MP backed Labour, Ann Widdecombe) you might think that the party was pretty united and firm in its opposition. But that would overlook the disputes within the Conservative Party on their line, which even caused David Davis to talk about quitting the Shadow Cabinet:

David Davis is said to have told Mr Cameron that he would rather resign than support the Government’s efforts to extend the period of pre-charge detention beyond 28 days. George Osborne and Michael Gove feared that the Tories risked being painted as “soft on terrorism” but were overruled after a series of private meetings between the two former rivals. [The Times]

George Osborne and Michael Gove aren’t exactly bit players in the Conservative Party, nor does David Davis seem to be the sort of man who would talk about resigning lightly. The splits seem very deep.