Theresa May fights to reinstate Remainer rebels

Theresa May has emerged as the leading critic of Boris Johnson’s ‘brutal’ decision to purge 21 Remainer rebels from the Tory benches, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The Prime Minister stunned Westminster by calling the bluff of those Conservatives who voted with the Opposition to try to force him to delay Brexit – sparking two formal complaints from his predecessor.

Mrs May has raised the issue directly with Party chairman James Cleverly and Chief Whip Mark Spencer on behalf of the group that includes former Chancellor Philip Hammond, ex-Justice Secretary David Gauke and Tory grandee Ken Clarke.

She approached Mr Cleverly behind the Speaker’s Chair in the House of Commons on Wednesday evening to raise concerns about the legality of blocking any of the rebels from being candidates at the next Election. 

Last night a Tory source said: ‘It was all very courteous and professional, but there are a lot of angry people and a lot of Chinese whispers doing the rounds about what is really happening.’

Allies of Mr Cleverly insist that no order has yet been given for associations to select new candidates in the seats belonging to the sacked rebels, hinting there could be a way back for some of them.

It is also understood that Mrs May made a separate complaint to Mr Spencer, urging reconciliation as quickly as possible. She also noticeably flanked Mr Clarke in the House of Commons in an open sign of defiance.

Mrs May is the leading critic against Boris Johnson’s decision to purge 21 remainers from teh Tory benches

Last night former Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt added her voice to the calls for leniency. Mrs Mordaunt, who was sacked by Mr Johnson last month, told a gathering of so-called ‘wets’ at the Tory Reform Group chaired by Mr Clarke: ‘We should give those MPs the chance of candidacy, if they can and will accept the platform and manifesto.’

In an emotional speech, she compared the situation to an incident in the 1990s when she was propositioned at the Conservative Party Conference by a rich donor and a senior Party staff member. ‘I was so hurt,’ she said.

‘I remember looking down at my cheap shoes and feeling cheap. Humiliated. Hurt. It hurt that an organisation that I respect so much, that I wanted to be part of so much, that I had worked so hard for, could have so little care for me… I know there are a lot of people feeling that way this week, including some of my Parliamentary colleagues.’

She added: ‘I urge you to do what I decided at that one event 23 years ago: to stay, to stand together and to fight.’