Bat squeaks of dissent among Conservatives
chancellor George Osborne, a leading Remainer, chose a perch next to Ms Soubry on the backbenches in the Commons this week in what could be a sign of a significant new alliance.
On grammar schools too, Mrs May faces a battle to keep her party united against near universal hostility from Labour and the rest of the opposition. Her announcement of plans to lift the ban on new grammars imposed by Tony Blair will be popular among Tory grassroots members.
It could also appeal to some former Tory voters who have switched to Ukip in recent years.
The anti-Brussels party has long championed bringing back grammars. By stealing one of Ukip’s key domestic policies Mrs May has shown a canny desire to reunite the fractured centre-Right vote.
YET some Tories at Westminster have misgivings about an expansion of selective schooling. Neil Carmichael, Tory chairman of the Commons Education Committee, has voiced doubts about the plan. Former education secretaries Nicky Morgan and Michael Gove, who both opposed new grammars when in office, will think deeply about which way to vote on the issue.
All prime ministers have to beware the enemies within their own party ranks. In Downing Street Margaret Thatcher battled the “wets” and John Major railed against what he called the “bastards”. While Mrs May is unlikely to be caught using such forthright terms, she will be aware that some MPs are preparing to make her life very difficult on the issues she cares about most.