Nadine’s ‘act of revenge’ after peerage snub heralded a night of bloodletting
Nadine Dorries sensationally triggered a night of bloodletting within the Tory Party with her shock resignation.
She quit as an MP in a dramatic “act of revenge” after being snubbed for a peerage – just hours before Boris Johnson’s bombshell departure.
The two close allies’ resignations, which are thought to have been co-ordinated, will cause Prime Minister Rishi Sunak maximum disruption and a by-election headache.
There was speculation that further MPs could follow Ms Dorries and Mr Johnson, leaving Mr Sunak fighting a clutch of elections with the Conservatives trailing way behind Labour in the polls.
The Government has a current working majority of 64 but Tory rebels may now be emboldened to challenge Mr Sunak’s programme.
Opposition parties, meanwhile, may see opportunities to build some momentum going into the next General Election, due to be held no later than January 28, 2025.
A civil war has been simmering in Tory ranks since former Chancellor Mr Sunak played a part in the coup which removed the former PM.
Ms Dorries has always been a staunch ally of Mr Johnson – throughout Partygate and other challenges.
But just hours before the former Culture Secretary’s announcement to stand down with immediate effect, she assured viewers on Talk TV that she would not be quitting as an MP.
However, then – as Mr Sunak was due to make a keynote speech in the North of England – she walked.
The 66-year-old said it had been “an honour” to serve in Mid Bedfordshire – where she had a majority of 24,664 – adding “but it is now time for another to take the reins”.
The TalkTV chat show host, understood to be writing a tell-all book on Mr Sunak’s rise to power, said later she had had numerous conversations with Mr Johnson in the 24 hours before she quit.
She also told the channel: “I’m not altogether happy with the way the party has conducted itself over the last year. I’m not happy with the events that took place removing Boris Johnson. I feel a sense of relief.”
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The last straw seems to have been her removal from Mr Johnson’s honours list. A source said she resigned in an “act of revenge designed to show how she felt about being taken off after her efforts as an MP and minister from a working-class background”.
Supporters of the former nurse who grew up in poverty in Liverpool hinted that she was the victim of snobbery from “Oxbridge people” on the committee which vets honours.
Downing Street denied interference from Mr Sunak, but friends of Ms Dorries believe the PM had ensured she was not on the list to avoid a by-election which he faces anyway.
Mr Sunak also faces the prospect of a by-election in Mr Johnson’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat, where the former PM’s majority is a slimmer 7,210.
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A former senior minister and ally of Ms Dorries and Mr Johnson said: “Nadine has had enough. She has been so appallingly briefed against and I know it has [taken] a toll on her. We have to link this with what has happened to the reforms we were taking through. Rishi pulled the Nationality and Borders Bill, watered down REUL [Retained EU Law Bill] and watered down the Northern Ireland Legacy Bill. It’s appalling. We can’t go on like this.”
Downing Street made it clear the peerages which Mr Johnson wanted to award Ms Dorries and former Cabinet minister Alok Sharma, ex-minister Nigel Adams and Scottish Secretary Alister Jack cannot be revisited now taken off the list.
A friend of Ms Dorries said: “The Oxbridge boys in No10 and House of Lords Appointments made sure a girl born on one of the poorest streets in Liverpool did not get to the Lords.”
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