- EU
- Conservatives: disagreements between high-profile Remainers such as Kenneth Clarke and supporters of Brexit such as Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Tory hard Brexiters in European Research Group – 60 members including Rees-Mogg, Tory Soft Brexiters such as Dominic Grieve and Nicky Morgan, Tory Second referendum group such as Justine Greening
- Anna Soubry criticised Johnson’s desire for a no deal Brexit
- September 2019, Conservative Party withdrew the whip from 21 of its MPs who had supported an emergency motion to allow the House of Commons to undertake proceedings on the EU Withdrawal Bill – they were then told they could no longer sit as Conservatives – followed by resignations e.g. By Amber Rudd
- Labour factions over Europe: in final reading of European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill 2017 – 52 Labour MPs including Kate Hoey voted with government in key Brexit votes.
- Labour Brexiteers (9 members, split into two groups, with those campaigning to leave during the referendum and those wanting to implement the result
- In February 2019, 7 MPs reigned the Labour Party to sit as the Independent Group, as they were against Corbyn’s approach to Brexit and allegations of anti-Semitism.
- SOCIAL ISSUES
- Cameron continued to emphasise the importance of stable families for society but wanted to remove discrimination against same sex couples forming a stable relationship.
- As Coalition Prime Minister, he introduced legislation to make gay marriage possible but 136 Conservative MPs voted against, on a free vote.
- The 301 group was created in 2012, a group of Tory BB MPs, the aim of the group was not to abandon the “core issues” of immigration, crime, and so on, but to make sure MPs are also talking about issues like health, welfare, state education, etc – lots of opposition from more traditional conservatives like Peter Bone.
- LEFT
- Division between Corbyn’s socialist policies and the rest of the party.
- Corbyn, a pacifist, was a passionate opponent of David Cameron’s plan to join US-led strikes against jihadis in Syria but had to allow a free-vote to party due to division.
- He was committed to a nuclear-free world and therefore wanted to scrap Trident – the unions and some shadow cabinet members — including Hilary Benn, shadow foreign secretary —issued stark warnings against proposing to scrap it.
- Corbyn wanted to scrap the welfare cap, criticised by his own shadow work and pensions sec, Owen Smith, who said that they shouldn’t go against public opinion.