A senior Tory MP has slammed Liz Truss and her government as "a shambles and a disgrace" after farcical scenes in the House of Commons on Wednesday night. The PM's premiership is now hanging in the balance, after accusations that MPs were physically manhandled and left in tears during a key vote on fracking.
Conservative whips initially stated that the vote on whether to allocate Commons time to consider legislation to stop shale gas extraction was being treated as a "confidence motion" in the government. However, after a number of Tory MPs signalled they would not take part in the vote, climate minister Graham Stuart said it was "quite clearly not" a confidence vote, causing confusion among MPs who were left unsure whether they would lose the party whip if they abstained or voted against the motion.
Labour's motion was defeated by 230 votes to 326, but the tumultuous scenes surrounding the vote led to "very strong rumours" that the Government chief whip had resigned, while allegations of bullying were levelled against Government whips. MP for the Rhondda, Chris Bryant, said some MPs had been "physically manhandled and bullied", while Cardiff North MP Anna McMorrin said she had seen one Tory member "in tears".
Read more: House of Commons descends into chaos as Liz Truss fights for survival
Following the shambolic scenes, senior Tory backbencher Sir Charles Watkins gave a furious interview to the BBC, saying the events of the last few days were "inexcusable" and describing the government as "utterly appalling". He claiming that in his 17 years as an MP, he had never seen anything like it, adding "I've had enough".
"We've had some pretty tense moments, particularly around Brexit," he said. "But I've really not seen anything like tonight. What I understand is that we were on a confidence vote, which means if you voted against your government, you'd lose the whip because in essence, you were saying you had no confidence in the government.
"Then at the despatch box, the minister said it wasn’t a confidence vote, which created chaos in the division lobbies. There was then a sort of 20 minute delay between the vote happening and the result being announced, which by the way, wasn't even close - the government won by nearly 100 votes."
Reflecting on what he'd seen, Sir Charles added: "I just think the whole thing is extraordinary. And somewhere in between this, the vote being called and the result being announced the chief whip resigned. I haven't had that confirmed but the rumour seems to be growing. They haven't been dismissed by government.
"To be perfectly honest, this whole affair is inexcusable. It is a pitiful reflection on the Conservative parliamentary party at every level and it reflects really badly on the government of the day."
Asked if the Tories could find their way back after this, he replied: “I don't think so. But I've been of that view really since two weeks ago. This is an absolute disgrace. As a Tory MP of 17 years who has never been a minister who has got on with it loyally most of the time, I think it's a shambles and a disgrace. I think it is utterly appalling. I'm livid.
"You know, I really shouldn't say this, but I hope all those people that put Liz Truss in Number 10, I hope it was worth it. I hope it was worth it for the ministerial red box, I hope it was worth it to sit around the Cabinet table, because the damage they have done to our party is extraordinary."
A furious Sir Charles wasn't done yet, as he told the BBC that he's "had enough of talentless people putting their tick in the right box, not because it's in the national interest, but because it's in their own personal interest to achieve ministerial position." He also predicted that as many as 200 of his colleagues could leave Parliament "at the behest of their electorate" with many backbenchers fearing for their positions.
"I know I speak for hundreds of backbenchers who right now are worrying for their constituents all the time but now worrying about their own personal circumstances because there is nothing as ex as an ex-MP," he said. "And a lot of my colleagues are wondering, as many of their constituents are wondering how they're going to pay their mortgages, if this all comes to an end soon."
"I'm leaving Parliament at the next general election and I'm leaving voluntarily. But unless we get our act together and behave like grownups, I'm afraid many hundreds of my colleagues, perhaps 200 will be leaving at the behest of their electorate. That's really pretty much all I've got to say. Patience has reached the limit."
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