Tory MPs turn on Tobias Ellwood

The fall-out from Lee Anderson’s suspension continues tonight. With speculation still ongoing as to whether the Ashfield MP might defect to Reform, friends of the red wall Rottweiler are concerned that his suspension will, in the words of one, only ‘embolden the wets’. Such fears have only been strengthened tonight by a bizarre row breaking out in one of the Tory backbench WhatsApp groups. 

It began when Sir John Hayes, chairman of the Common Sense Group, wrote in the aftermath of Anderson’s suspension that ‘the facts speak for themselves. Islamist extremism poses the greatest threat to national security and wellbeing’. It prompted Tobias Ellwood to weigh in and demand that ‘John – with respect – please delete that comment.’ A barrage of enraged Tory MPs fired back in anger at ‘nice but dim’ Ellwood, with one asking ‘What is a greater threat to national security than Islamic extremism?’

Another joked to Mr S: ‘With the polls refusing to narrow, I suppose he is anxious not to do anything to jeopardise his future career as head of the Taliban tourist authority in Kabul’ – a reference to the extraordinary