Nadine Dorries has been told to hand back her £84,000 MP salary as it emerged she has not spoken in the Commons for almost eight months.
The former minister is accused of spending too much time trying to become a TV star rather than representing her constituents.
Mrs Dorries, who is Boris Johnson’s biggest cheerleader, last spoke in the Commons on July 7 - the day he announced he would resign as PM. She was still culture secretary at the time.
Since the summer, she has only voted on two days. She supported tax changes brought in as part of the Autumn Statement on November 22 and then took part in votes on the Levelling Up Bill the next day.
Despite her absence, Mrs Dorries is still entitled to her MP salary of £84,000.
A Tory source said: “Nadine’s constituents in Mid Bedfordshire might wonder if she cares more about her new TV show and stumping for past prime ministers than she does representing their views in Parliament.
“If she doesn't want to do her day job, she should hand back her MP salary and let someone else do it.”
Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper added "Nadine Dorries is taking the people of Mid Beds for granted. This is a farce.
"In the middle of a cost of living crisis, local people need MPs to help them. Instead, Nadine Dorries is too busy stuffing her pockets in TV studios. Rishi Sunak should have the guts to remove the Conservative whip."
The former I’m A Celebrity contestant, 65, earlier this month began presenting a weekly television show on Friday nights on Talk TV. She has not yet declared how much she is getting paid for the gig.
All former ministers are required to ask permission from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments before taking a new job within two years of leaving Government, but she failed to do this.
Her first guest on her programme was Mr Johnson, who she has described as “one of the world’s greatest leaders” and a “political rock star”.
Mrs Dorries is expected to be rewarded for her loyalty to the disgraced ex-PM with a seat in the House of Lords.
She has announced she will step down as an MP at the next election. Speaking on her programme, she said she had taken the decision because the Tories had removed Mr Johnson from No10.
“I'm afraid that the lack of cohesion, the infighting and occasionally the sheer stupidity from those who think we could remove a sitting prime minister, who secured a higher percentage of the vote share than Tony Blair did in 1997, just three short years ago,” she said.
"That they could do that and the public would let us get away with it. I'm afraid it's this behaviour that I now just have to remove myself from.
"And so, despite it being a job that I've loved for every year that I've done it, I'm now off. Oh gosh, I've just said it out loud, there's no going back now."
Mrs Dorries did not respond to requests to comment.
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