Tobias Ellwood had the Conservative party’s whip withdrawn by the prime minister on Tuesday after he abstained in Monday’s confidence vote in the government.
16 Labour MPs and 12 Conservative MPs did not vote on the matter.
ITV News has reported that Tory whips were “relaxed” about vote pairing in this confidence vote.
It is not clear whether or not Ellwood may have pursued this option.
The Bournemouth MP is a long-time critic of Boris Johnson, having repeatedly urged him to resign earlier this year, following the “Partygate” revelations.
He voted against Johnson in last month’s vote of confidence among Tory MPs.
Ellwood, who chairs the House of Commons’ defence select committee said in a statement: “Following my meeting yesterday with the President of Moldova, I was unable to secure return travel due to unprecedented disruption both here and in the UK.
“I am very sorry to lose the whip but will now continue my meetings in Ukraine promoting the prime minister’s efforts here and specifically seeking to secure the reopening of Odesa port – so vital grain exports can recommence.”
He also suggested he missed the vote due to “air travel chaos”.
Confirming that he would now be unable to vote for his favoured leadership candidate in Wednesday’s final MP ballot, he told Sky News that the public: “has probably had enough of the blue-on-blue”.
Ellwood, who remains in Odesa, Ukraine, said recent events had been: “a sad chapter in the history of our great party” and that he hoped his suspension from the whip was “temporary”.
He went on: “The nation wants to be impressed and inspired, not demoralised by what they’re witnessing right now and we perhaps need to exhibit greater decorum, dial down the temperature a bit.
“Otherwise we’re just going to be letting ourselves and committing ourselves to probably a long spell in opposition.”
A whips’ office spokesperson confirmed that Ellwood “has lost the Conservative Party whip following his failure to vote in support of the government in the confidence vote.”
Culture secretary Nadine Dorries has hit back at claims Ellwood could have kept the party whip if he had supported Liz Truss’ leadership campaign, slamming the idea as “wholly untrue and frankly ridiculous”.
“Every single MP of every party is under no illusion regarding the price to be paid in not voting during a government confidence motion,” she went on. “It’s a very clearly defined and historic red line. Tobias could have voted like everyone else.”
Liberal Democrat chief whip Wendy Chamberlain accused the PM of “petty” manoeuvring over the issue.
“It is telling that Boris Johnson acted swiftly to punish Tobias Ellwood this time, but dragged his feet for days when it came to suspending the whip from his loyal supporter Chris Pincher,” she argued.
“This petty act shows there is no room in the Conservatives any more for those who refuse to prop up Johnson. The Conservative leadership candidates should condemn this move and make clear they will restore the whip to Tobias Ellwood,” she went on.
More to follow
