Tory rebel Euro-mps stripped of party whip

Two rebel Tory MEPS who voted to block moves towards trade talks between the UK and European Union have been stripped of the party whip.

South West MEP Julie Girling and South East MEP Richard Ashworth were suspended from the Conservative Party after supporting a resolution in Strasbourg declaring that “sufficient progress” had not been made in the Brexit talks to move on to discussions on the future relationship between the UK and EU.

The decision to remove the whip was backed by Downing Street in a sign that Theresa May is preparing to get tough with her party over Brexit.

The whip was removed from the two senior MEPS following consultation between European Parliament Chief Whip Dan Dalton and Downing Street.