The first point to note is that this was a defeat inflicted primarily because Lib Dem peers rebelled or abstained - their normally solid voting bloc split into 39 voting with the government, 26 against and 26 not voting.

BBC: A bad omen for ministers

The nine or ten others were roughly split between voting McCain or sitting it out.

NEWYORKER: The Hardest Vote

Institutional Shareholder Services said it supports a split and recommended against voting for three directors.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down