Tobias Ellwood, chair of the defence select committee, was suspended from the Conservative party on Tuesday after failing to support the government in a vote of confidence.
Ellwood, who served as junior defence minister under Theresa May’s government, has been highly critical of outgoing prime minister Boris Johnson and was one of the first MPs to call on the Tory leader to quit.
The suspension of Ellwood’s whip means there will be one fewer MP voting in the latest round of the Conservative leadership contest. He has supported trade minister Penny Mordaunt’s bid, leaving her with one less supporter.
Ellwood missed the parliamentary vote on Monday due to an overseas meeting in Moldova taken in his capacity as chair of the defence committee, which he said he could not return from due to “travel disruption”. Although Johnson won the count with a majority of 111, government insiders expressed anger that Ellwood had not returned in time.
The government proposed the vote after a dispute following an initial request by the opposition Labour party. The office of Chris Heaton-Harris, the chief whip, said Ellwood had lost the whip “following his failure to vote in support of the government in the confidence vote last night”. One senior Tory said that Ellwood had requested a “slip” not to be present for the vote to undertake a foreign trip but that all such requests had been rescinded.
In reaction to losing the whip, Ellwood 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 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.”
Another Tory leadership candidate will be knocked out of the contest on Tuesday. Mordaunt is vying with foreign secretary Liz Truss for second place on the shortlist. Kemi Badenoch, the former equalities minister, is the next favourite to leave the race after trailing behind ex-chancellor Rishi Sunak, Truss and Mordaunt. MPs will vote in a final round on Wednesday before Tory members vote on the last two contenders over the summer. A new Prime Minister will be installed by September 5.
