Nadine Dorries Singled Out For Attack In Tory 1922 Committee

Posted: 10/05/2012 01:16 Updated: 10/05/2012 11:38

UPDATE: On Friday night Nadine Dorries is due to appear on BBC One's "Have I Got News For You" as a panellist. Which should be fun.

Tory MP Nadine Dorries was roundly criticised by her fellow backbench Tory MPs on Wednesday night for her outspoken criticism of David Cameron and George Osborne as "arrogant posh boys".

Her recent comments were flayed by several of her fellow backbenchers during a private meeting of the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs. Criticism of her recent media appearances particularly came from those MPs fighting marginal seats.

"I wish she would just shut the f**k up," is how one backbench Tory MP put it to HuffPost after the meeting, where several Tory MPs made no secret of their annoyance with her recent interviews. Despite David Cameron telling the Commons on Wednesday that Nadine Dorries was a "close friend" of his, it's obvious that the MP for the safe seat of Mid Bedfordshire has been a niggling annoyance to Number 10.

Nadine Dorries has given two interviews in as many weeks where she's personally attacked the prime minister and chancellor for being out of touch. Those interviews have been gleefully spread by the media and on social networks.

On Wednesday night Tory backbenchers were keen to make clear that they found Dorries an irritant. Around half a dozen Tory MPs from super-marginal constituencies were said to be angry during the private meeting of party backbenchers about the dissent within the party.

"It's alright to raise issues in the right place, but to take to the airwaves like this is just damaging us," one Tory MP told Huffpost. "These MPs are just making mischief and it's alright for them because they've all got safe seats. They won't have the battle at the next election like we will."

Nadine Dorries is not alone in being attacked for alleged disloyalty. Peter Bone, the MP for Wellingborough, and Philip Hollobone, the MP for Kettering are also seen as "disloyal" MPs who've spent too much time voicing their upset with coalition policies. And Stewart Jackson, the former ministerial aide who criticised the coalition on Radio 4 on Friday lunchtime, was also criticised.

Other more senior MPs like John Redwood and David Davis are seen as being "close to the line" in their public comments about coalition policy.

Some of the MPs singled out for attack by their fellow backbenchers have safe Tory seats which they can expect to retain whatever the political weather. But MPs like Bone and Hollobone have marginal seats, and this confounds northern Tory MPs who feel they are being undermined by colleagues who have just as much to lose at the ballot box as they do.

Privately many backbench Tories share Dorries' concerns. What they find offensive is the readiness of people like her to attack the party leadership in a public manner. There is no suggestion that the 1922 found the Tory leadership at fault, despite a fairly lukewarm response to the Queen's Speech among the media.

Nadine Dorries enjoys a healthy majority although it's not clear what her Parliamentary future might be if government plans to shake-up constituency boundaries are enacted. She could find herself unseated under the changes, something a few commentators have suggested contributes to her current antagonism towards her front-bench.

There is clearly a huge amount of anger among Tories in marginal seats, though. They feel they have enough of a struggle to sell their elitist leader and chancellor to voters, without their fellow backbenchers sticking the knife in.

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UPDATE: On Friday night Nadine Dorries is due to appear on BBC One's "Have I Got News For You" as a panellist. Which should be fun. Tory MP Nadine Dorries was roundly criticised by her fellow bac...
UPDATE: On Friday night Nadine Dorries is due to appear on BBC One's "Have I Got News For You" as a panellist. Which should be fun. Tory MP Nadine Dorries was roundly criticised by her fellow bac...
 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Mark B Robertson
06:11 PM on 05/13/2012
The other parties must be so grateful that she is not one of their members. She is the nightmare that just keeps appearing in Dave's dreams, again and again!
This comment has been removed.
04:57 PM on 05/11/2012
Is this an example of a slow fuse suicide bomb?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
SGillLondonUK
UNDIVIDED UNCONQUERED
09:45 PM on 05/11/2012
yes, its taking way too long, they need to get on with it, if it takes any longer, i may have to ask my doctor for some ritolin
10:28 AM on 05/12/2012
Proof, do you not think, that the Cabinet has collective ADHD?
12:53 PM on 05/11/2012
Yes, well spoken Nadine!!!!!
To all the Tory backbenchers: "You all shut the **** up!" this country is groaning under your corrupt cronyism.
UKIP enlist Nadine!!!!
08:20 PM on 05/11/2012
Yes I agree UKIP need a few Tory to deflect,they are the only ones to speak the truth
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
SGillLondonUK
UNDIVIDED UNCONQUERED
09:47 PM on 05/11/2012
What, so she can go from being corrupt to being (even more) irrelevant than she really is. Seriously, who in their right mind would want to join this joke of a "party" UKIP is to the tories what the SDP were to Labour: a fringe..whats next, a UKIP/LIBDEM ALLIANCE?
06:44 AM on 05/11/2012
Great observation!

Nadine Dorries, Peter Bone, Philip Hollobone, Stewart Jackson, John Redwood and David Davis have realised the Emperor has no clothes on.
06:32 AM on 05/11/2012
now now girls dont be fighting over cameroooon hes trying to rescue the country using his private education, you will all get your expense sheets signed off in due course
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
SGillLondonUK
UNDIVIDED UNCONQUERED
09:48 PM on 05/11/2012
Private education? He can just about spell LOL
10:39 PM on 05/10/2012
Do think its Dorries that is damaging the Tories. Got a feeling its the continuing incompetence of DC and Co. It's about time heads started to roll. Dorries is probably one of the ones to trust.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
SGillLondonUK
UNDIVIDED UNCONQUERED
09:49 PM on 05/11/2012
I think the Tories are doing far more damage than Labour could ever do
10:26 PM on 05/10/2012
Publish and be dammed, we need a good laugh.
08:57 PM on 05/10/2012
What we have for a change is a politician who speaks out, one who has not gone to the same school as the rest of them; I don’t know her or her politics. She is just something that seems to be alive amongst all those public school boys and lawyers that make up parliament these days. I don’t really care what’s she says so long as what she says gets up the backs of all those arrogant posh boys who think they know what makes the world go around.

I wish we had more shouting for all to hear while at the same time making live a little uncomfortable for the establishment of old school chums that now fill parliament. We no longer have working men in parliament who come from the community that elected them, what we have now is university graduates in political science who have become professional politicians. We now have people with no knowledge of the real world outside their cocooned way of live wreaking havoc on the rest of us, so we need someone with a big mouth to shake them up.
08:45 PM on 05/10/2012
Good for her.

At least she did not feel inclined to "walk the party line" and speak her mind...probably a better representation on behalf of her electorates than the vast majority of career-MPs who are "wipped" into line ( like lemmings)
07:16 PM on 05/10/2012
She could always join UKIP.
At least she would not be among "Posh arrogant young kids".
05:47 PM on 05/10/2012
Its simple
HAVE THEM ALL WEAR LIE DETECTORS WHEN THEY ARE ADDRESSING THE ELECTORATE AND SEE HOW MANY CAN TELLL THE TRUTH
09:26 PM on 05/10/2012
And let the detectors be attached to suitabley placed electrodes, and with each lie, increase the voltage going through the electrodes.
Now that would be better than the x Factor and BGT.
05:21 PM on 05/10/2012
She can always cross the floor.
HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Hugh Albert
Moderation in somethings
05:29 PM on 05/10/2012
With her motormouth what makes you think the opposition would welcome her? The first time she slagged off Ed and Ed she would be batted back across the floor like a shuttlecock.
Come to think of it....
ThinkCreeps
Seriously, it's time.
10:16 AM on 05/11/2012
I'm not sure the labour benches need any talibanis.
04:32 PM on 05/10/2012
She reminds me of, attitude wise at least of Edwina Currie, a loose canon who likes to get her name in the papers and although no one knew it at the time was being knocked off by the prime minister, is history going to repeat itself?
04:56 PM on 05/10/2012
I think you will find that self publicist Edwina Currie was involved with John Major before he became Prime Minister. Her exposure of their affair,including the strawberries, was a direct result of him not rewarding her with a Portfolio.
12:55 AM on 05/11/2012
Nadine is not that desperate as to contemplate an affair with Cameron or anyone of his dubious standing.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Thomas Platt
04:32 PM on 05/10/2012
I don't have time to hate both the Tory leadership AND Nadine Dorries. Happily, they seem to be doing most of the work for me.