Cabinet minister demands investigation into ‘manhandling’ of Tory MPs in fracking vote

A Cabinet minister has called for an investigation into the “manhandling” of Tory MPs to force them to back the government on fracking – saying she is “shocked” by what went on.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan said the UK parliament is “well respected across the world”, making the “intimidation and bullying” – as one Labour MP called it – even more worrying.

In unprecedented chaos, Conservative MPs squared up to their senior whips, who first quit over the mayhem of whether it was being treated as a confidence vote – then withdrew their resignations.

Ms Trevelyan, the transport secretary, said: “I was not in the lobbies, but I was shocked to hear the descriptions of what went on.

“I hope Mr Speaker will be investigating closely – and I am sure that he will – to ensure these scenes and these situations do not happen again.”

She added: “It is never acceptable for there to be any harassment of members as they cast their democratic vote.”

Later, the Speaker Lindsay Hoyle announced he has asked the Serjeant at Arms, who is responsible for keeping order within the Commons, and other senior officials, to examine the claims.

The call came as some Conservative MPs – in despair at the meltdown of the government, on a day when the home secretary was also sacked – called for Liz Truss to be forced out today.

Charles Walker, a former chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories, said: “The grown-ups in our party, and a few do exist, need to meet in a papal conclave over the next 24 hours and decide on a coronation.

And Crispin Blunt, a former minister, said: “It’s plain what is required. We need to effect a change, frankly, today in order to stop this shambles.”

In a show of weakness, Downing Street backed down on its threat to strip the whip from any Conservative MP who failed to vote down Labour’s attempt to ban fracking, late on Wednesday.

Instead, No 10 said only that the rebels should “expect proportionate disciplinary action” – after 36 abstained, including several big-hitters.

Amid the chaos over whether the chief whip and his deputy had resigned, the prime minister appeared to have failed to obey her own instruction to vote – but No 10 later insisted she had.

No 10 also sought to take the blame for the confusion over whether it was being treated as a confidence vote – meaning the suspension from the parliamentary party of any rebels.

At the despatch box, the climate change minister Graham Stuart told MPs it was not – fuelling the angry scenes that followed – but No 10 said he was “told, mistakenly, by Downing Street to say that it was not”.

However, Ms Trevelyan told Sky News it was not a confidence vote, as she insisted Ms Truss would still be prime minister in a fortnight’s time.

Chris Bryant, a former Labour minister, said he had seen some MPs “physically manhandled” and up to 20 MPs “surrounding a couple of Conservative MPs who were wavering as to how they should vote”

“It was very aggressive, very angry, there was a lot of shouting, there was a lot of pointing, gesticulating, there was at least one hand on another MP, and to me that was clear bullying, intimidation,” he said.

“I saw a whole swathe of MPs effectively pushing one member straight through the door and I’ve seen photographic evidence of one MP’s hand on another.”