David Cameron’s decision to allow members of the government to campaign on either side of the referendum on European Union membership was presented as a magnanimous gesture. He would graciously offer a free vote to the members of his cabinet who back an exit, following the historical precedent set by Harold Wilson in 1975. But in reality, he had no other option.
Well, that’s not strictly true. He had the option of ignoring the demands of the backbenchers and cabinet ministers clamoring to be able to speak their minds on this most pressing issue. He could have insisted on collective responsibility. But this course of action would have risked the implosion of the Conservative government. As several media accounts showed, the Leader of the House of Commons Chris Grayling had threatened to resign if ministers were not allowed a free vote, and other members of the cabinet could have followed him.
So what did David Cameron achieve with this move, apart from avoiding the humiliating erosion of his authority?
The timing was beneficial, but not quite as beneficial as Cameron hoped. He made his announcement right in the middle of a shambolic opposition reshuffle, hoping that the media would be far too busy scrutinizing Jeremy Corbyn to expose his own weakness as party leader. Unfortunately, he was only moderately successful in that goal. Labour did dominate the news agenda but the prime minister’s poor hand was all too apparent.
