Tobias Ellwood calls for an end to ‘blue on blue’ hostilities after being stripped of Tory whip | Politics News

Senior MP Tobias Ellwood has called for an end to “blue on blue” hostilities after being stripped of the whip from the Conservative Party yesterday.

This move is a punishment after Mr Ellwood failed to participate in Monday’s vote of confidence in government.

Mr Ellwood, chairman of the influential defense selection committee, argued that he could not return from a meeting with Moldova’s president due to the “unprecedented disruption”.

The removal of the cane means Mr Ellwood, a longtime critic of Boris Johnson, is currently unable to vote in the party’s leadership vote.

He voted for Commerce Secretary Penny Mordaunt in the previous rounds.

Of the conflict within the Tory party, Mr Ellwood told Sky News: “The nation wants to be impressed and inspired and not dismayed.”

He added: “We probably need to put on a bigger display of decorations, bring the temperature down a bit, introduce ideas, visions, focus on those things that are important things that the country wants to see. “

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He warned that there was no end to the Conservative infighting “we will only let ourselves down and indeed, pledge could be against it for a long time”.

Mr Ellwood also denied claims he did not acknowledge the whippings that called for him to return, telling Kay Burley: “I don’t overlook it at all, I informed the office of the whippings in full time.”

He added that the runways had been melted in the UK due to the heat wave and security issues in Moldova both affected his return journey.

Mr Ellwood said he deeply regretted the loss of the whip and hoped it was only temporary.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t come back,” he added.

Mr Ellwood told Sky News he did not want to speculate on specifically why he lost the whip and whether he would have lost it if he were a Liz Truss support, instead of support Mrs. Mordaunt.

“Then I’ll refuel blue-on-blue [attacks]which I’m really trying to avoid,” he said.

“Let’s focus on how we can move forward and make sure we end this leadership campaign with the highest professional standard that I think the British people want to see.”

But speaking to Sky News earlier, Treasury Secretary General Simon Clarke defended the Tory Party’s decision to strip Mr Ellwood, saying the senior MP had made a “very serious mistake”.

“He’s in Moldova, not Ukraine. He doesn’t work for the government, he’s a backbencher,” Mr. Clarke said.

He also suggested that Mr Ellwood knew the consequences of missing the vote.

“Look, I’m not a member of the whip office. What I’m going to say is that there are clear agreements that all MPs understand, which govern the conditions of absence from the ballots. , especially the key votes like the confidence movement in Mr. Clarke said.

Mr Ellwood was not the only Conservative MP to miss Monday’s vote of confidence, but a Conservative source said on Tuesday that all other Tory MPs were absent for reasons of absence. such as familial illness were matched by agreement of spankings – that is, another individual voted for them on their behalf.

“Other Conservative MPs have canceled overseas tours, leaving poor relatives and the mother of an MP who passed away on polling day morning and still attending and voting,” the source said. of Tory said.

Losing the effective whip means an MP is expelled from their party for not following the leadership’s strict instructions.

They have not lost their seats and will remain an MP.

But, until the whip is restored, they will sit independently on the council.

Ms Mordaunt is seen as the biggest challenger to Ms Truss, who is being backed by Mr Johnson’s allies to reach the final two contenders for the No 10 spot.

Liberal Democratic Party head Wendy Chamberlain questioned why Mr Johnson had removed the whip from Mr Ellwood so quickly but “pulled his leg for days when it came to suspending the whipping from his staunch supporter”. your Chris Pincher“- who was eventually suspended for sexual assault claims.

“The Conservative leadership candidates should condemn this move and make it clear that they will reinstate the whip to Tobias Ellwood,” she said.

MPs voted 349 to 238, a majority of 111, to support a proposal to declare that the Commons had confidence in government on Monday night.

The win means Mr Johnson is expected to remain in Downing Street until September, when Tory members choose the winner from among the final two chosen by Tory MPs.

Mr Ellwood was first elected in 2005 as a Conservative MP for Bournemouth East.