The government survived a Labour challenge to Liz Truss’s decision to lift the ban on fracking on Wednesday night.
However, confusion and chaos reigned in parliament’s division lobbies with allegations emerging of Tory MPs being manhandled and bullied.
MPs had initially been told the vote on fracking would be treated as a vote of confidence in the government, meaning expulsion from the party for those breaking ranks.
But climate minister Graham Stuart dramatically declared during the debate that the vote was no longer being treated as a vote of confidence and ministers have said only that the vote carried a three-line whip, which typically carries a lesser punishment for defying.
Amid the confusion, the chief whip Wendy Morton reportedly announced her resignation in the voting lobby and her deputy Craig Whittaker is said to have followed suit. Both have apparently reversed their decisions and according to No 10 remain in post.
To compound the chaos, just after 1.30am on Thursday morning Downing Street sent out an ambiguous message which failed to clarify whether MPs would be stripped of the whip if they defied the government.
A spokesperson said: “Throughout the day, the whips had treated the vote as a confidence motion. The minister at the despatch box was told, mistakenly, by Downing Street to say that it was not.
“However, Conservative MPs were fully aware that the vote was subject to a three line whip. The whips will now be speaking to Conservative MPs who failed to support the government.
“Those without a reasonable excuse for failing to vote with the government can expect proportionate disciplinary action.”
There was initially some discrepancy in the numbers recorded for the vote, with Liz Truss and Ms Morton put down as having not voted at all.
This has now been changed on the parliamentary website and they are both down as No votes.
Stuart Andrew, MP for Pudsey, and Chris Loder, MP for West Dorset, were also originally on the list of MPs who had abstained. However they have now been put down as No votes as well.
There were 326 votes against the motion and 230 votes for it.
Some Tory MPs had permission to miss the vote beforehand and so won’t face disciplinary action for having abstained.
Which Tory MPs abstained from the fracking vote?
Nigel Adams
Gareth Bacon
Siobhan Baillie
Greg Clark
Sir Geoffrey Cox
Tracey Crouch
David Davis
Dame Caroline Dinenage
Nadine Dorries
Philip Dunne
Mark Fletcher
Vicky Ford
Paul Holmes
Alister Jack
Boris Johnson
Gillian Keegan
Robert Largan
Pauline Latham
Mark Logan
Theresa May
Mark Pawsey
Angela Richardson
Andrew Rosindell
Bob Seely
Alok Sharma
Chris Skidmore
Henry Smith
Ben Wallace
Sir John Whittingdale
William Wragg
