LABOUR and the Liberal Democrats - buoyed by the defection of the former Tory MP, Mr Peter Thurnham - will today try to increase the pressure on Mr Major's government over the "cash for questions" affair.
As the maverick MP took some of the gloss off the Conservatives' "unity" conference at Bournemouth, the opposition parties were set to refer the Paymaster General, Mr David Willetts, to the Speaker for a possible breach of parliamentary privilege arising from his intervention in an earlier Select Committee inquiry into the relationship between a Conservative MP, Mr Neil Hamilton, and the lobbyist, Mr Ian Greer.
The move is expected to be announced at a joint press conference by Labour and Liberal Democrat whips at Westminster later today. Their co operation has been given added stimulus by Mr Thurnham's claim that his decision was triggered by "the latest attempts by the government to suppress inquiries into allegations of sleaze, which is poisoning the very basis of our democracy."
But senior Tories yesterday sought to shrug off Mr Thurnham's defection to the Liberal Democrats. "I thought he'd gone months ago," said the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Michael Heseltine, in reference to the fact that the MP for Bolton North East had already resigned the party whip earlier this year. And while Mr Thurnham blamed Mr Major's "lack of decency" for his decision, Tory loyalists greeted his charge with derision.
The MP was known to be bitter at having been passed over for a safe seat at the next election. Mr Thurnham had already announced he would be standing down at Bolt on and failed to be considered for the safe seat of Westmoreland and Lonsdale where he lives.
Mr Heseltine said: "We know the Liberals don't we, and they'd obviously cooked this up. They get their brief moment of exposure. It's got nothing to do with the government of the country nothing to do with Britain's future, nothing to do with the issues, and it will be forgotten as quickly as all those other people who've, done the same sort of thing."
Criticising Mr Thurnham, Mr Heseltine said: "The Prime Minister didn't deserve that . . . To choose the time most likely to damage the man who is responsible for the fact you are an MP at all takes a very cynical approach."
But Mr Thurnham insisted: "I just didn't feel I could come back and sit on the Conservative benches again, supporting a government with all these problems and disunity, and now with the failure to deal with the latest allegations of such serious sleaze. There should be the fullest possible inquiry, whereas we've got evidence that the government is trying to suppress this."
In a direct swipe at Mr Major, Mr Thurnham went on: "I'm very glad I'm out of it now, not having to defend all these allegations and the disunity and the weak leadership which is affecting the Conservative, Party and the whole country.
Mr Thurnham made it clear he would not be standing for his new party come the general election. His decision has no impact on the government's House of Commons majority, which is technically two.