SENIOR MP Tobias Ellwood has been stripped of the Conservative Party whip after failing to show his support in the Government in the confidence vote on Tuesday night.
Ellwood has represented the Bournemouth East constituency and is currently chair of the Defence Select Committee.
He has previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Veterans, Reserves and Personnel.
The MP was in Moldova at the time of the vote despite being reminded that he would have to cancel his trip.
Ellwood was in Moldova. A Conservative Party source said: “Other Conservative MPs cancelled foreign trips, left poorly relatives and one MP’s mother died on the morning of the vote and still attended and voted.” https://t.co/uB98YuleaG
— Henry Zeffman (@hzeffman) July 19, 2022
Ellwood said he is "very sorry" to lose the Tory whip but argued he was unable to return from a meeting with the Moldovan president due to "unprecedented disruption".
In a statement, he said: “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."
Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries took to Twitter to reply to suggestions that the Prime Minister was trying to remove a vote for Penny Mordaunt by stripping the whip from Ellwood.
She wrote: “This is wholly untrue and frankly utterly ridiculous.
This is wholly untrue and frankly utterly ridiculous. Every single MP of every party is under no illusion regarding the price to be paid in not voting during a Gov confidence motion. It’s a very clearly defined and historic red line. Tobias could have voted like everyone else. https://t.co/IXo6ZqHXa6
— Nadine Dorries (@NadineDorries) July 19, 2022
“Every single MP of every party is under no illusion regarding the price to be paid in not voting during a Gov confidence motion. It’s a very clearly defined and historic red line.
"Tobias could have voted like everyone else."
The Tory government called a confidence vote in itself after disagreeing with the wording of Labour’s original motion.
They won with 349 votes in favour compared with 238 against.
