A caucus of Tory MPs which has counted cabinet ministers Amber Rudd and Nicky Morgan as leading members has urged Boris Johnson to allow 21 sacked Brexit rebels back into the party.
The prime minister removed the whip and barred from standing for election as Conservative candidates 21 Tory MPs who voted with the opposition to give the Commons control of the Brexit process to stop no-deal on October 31.
Philip Hammond, who was chancellor just a few weeks ago, was confirmed on Wednesday to have been removed as the Tory candidate for the next election in his seat.
But it has triggered a furious backlash among Tory MPs, with Johnson challenged over his decision by several colleagues at a meeting of the backbench 1922 Committee on Wednesday.
Shortly after the meeting former cabinet minister Damian Green, on behalf of scores of MPs in the One Nation caucus, said the PM’s move was “wrong in principle and bad practical politics” and demanded he restores the whip to the rebels.
Rudd and Morgan attended part of the meeting that led to Green’s statement, although they have resigned from the One Nation board, suggesting the PM could face a cabinet revolt if he ignores its demands.
“Damian has sent the letter and the letter speaks for itself,” a source close to Rudd said. “Nothing further to add.”
In his letter, Green said: “We cannot support the removal of the whip from principled, hard-working and dedicated colleagues.
“As representatives in parliament of a wider movement of the One Nation Conservative tradition – pragmatic, moderate, compassionate – we know that the Conservative party best serves the people of the United Kingdom when it represents all conservative traditions.
“The moves in recent days to purge the parliamentary party of moderate members is wrong in principle and bad practical politics.
“We believe that the United Kingdom is governed best with a Conservative prime minister, holding a Conservative parliamentary majority, governing for the whole country.
“Removing the whip from valued colleagues who have served their country and party with distinction damages our hope of winning the next general election.
“As a caucus we are now calling upon the prime minister to reinstate the party whip to these colleagues and demonstrate to us that he is intent on leading a party open to the full range of Conservative views.”
According to one MP, “there is a lot of anger” over Johnson’s decision to the rebels, who include Father of the House Ken Clarke, ex-Chancellor Philip Hammond, and Winston Churchill’s grandson Nicholas Soames, for backing the anti-no-deal Commons takeover.
Tobias Ellwood, Tim Loughton, Sir Edward Leigh and Green all challenged the PM over the sackings at the 1922 meeting, one MP said.
Johnson insisted that both he and MPs have to respect the whip and defended under-fire adviser Dominic Cummings from criticism, joking that he as PM was “exposing” himself and “taking off the latex mask”, while miming pulling off a mask.
One senior Tory source suggested there could be a way back into the party for the rebels, without providing details.
Meanwhile, rebels including Clarke, Antoinette Sandbach and David Gauke were all seen sitting on Tory benches behind Johnson at prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, despite their sackings.