Six Tories defy whip on pit closures

Six Tories defied the whip last night to vote for a Labour motion in a debate on pit closures, two more than in the March debate on the White Paper. They were Richard Alexander (Newark), Bill Cash (Stafford), Winston Churchill (Davyhulme), Elizabeth Peacock (Batley & Spen), Ann Winterton (Congleton) and Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield). The first four MPs also voted against the Government on a minsters' amendment.