Nadine Dorries (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)Nadine Dorries has called on Liz Truss to hold a general election to obtain a mandate for her policies.
Ms Dorries - who backed Ms Truss instead of rival Rishi Sunak in the Tory leadership election - said there was “widespread dismay” about the Prime Minister’s approach.
The former culture secretary highlighted areas that had been her responsibility which were now paused – including the sale of Channel 4 and the Online Safety Bill.
She tweeted: “Widespread dismay at the fact that three years of work has effectively been put on hold.
“No one asked for this. C4 sale, online safety, BBC licence fee review, all signed off by Cabinet all ready to go, all stopped.
“If Liz wants a whole new mandate, she must take to the country.”
Ms Dorries was asked by Ms Truss to stay on as culture secretary but chose to return to the backbenches instead.
She has been critical of Ms Truss, and on Sunday accused her of throwing Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng “under a bus” by blaming him for the 45p income tax rate row.
“One of Boris Johnson’s faults was that he could sometimes be too loyal,” Ms Dorries wrote on Twitter. “However, there is a balance and throwing your chancellor under a bus on the first day of conference really isn’t it.”
Asked about Ms Dorries’ call for an election, her colleague Michael Gove said: “I am sure it will be the case that Liz will be carrying forward lots of the very good work that Nadine did at DCMS.”
