We are no longer a broad church but increasingly an obsessed sect

After nine years as the Conservative MP for Aberconwy, I found myself this morning being interviewed as simply the MP for Aberconwy. It’s quite something to find myself no longer a Conservative MP.

I suspect, however, that my disappointment pales into insignificance when compared with the impact of this rash and hypocritical decision on individuals such as Ken Clarke and Sir Nicholas Soames. When the Father of the House loses the Conservative whip after 50 years of loyal service, and the grandson of Winston Churchill is now deemed to be insufficiently Conservative, we should pause and reflect. What has happened to the Conservative Party?

My offence, and that of 20 others, was to vote to reduce the risk of a no-deal Brexit. It is my view that doing so was the right thing for my country and my constituency. It was not, I am told, the right thing for the Conservative Party.

I feel comfortable that my priorities were aligned with those of Winston Churchill. Country and constituency above party was his mantra, and following Sir Nicholas into the lobby to support the opportunity to debate the Benn Bill told me I was doing the right thing. It is also, as is apparent to many, rather remarkable that those such as David Gauke and Philip Hammond, long-serving and loyal ministers and

Members of Parliament, have been deprived of the Conservative whip by an administration led by an individual who happily rebelled against previous three-line whips imposed by a Conservative prime minister and who appointed serial rebels to his ministerial ranks. One rule for them and another for us, it would seem.

Many Conservative Party members and readers of The Telegraph will have applauded this decision even though their support for Mr Johnson was based, to a large extent, on his willingness to vote against Theresa May. At selection meetings in

‘The Prime Minister took the first decisive step to destroy the Conservative Party as we know it’

Conservative associations across the country, a stock question is whether, when faced with a conflict between the demands of Government and the needs of your constituency, how would you vote?

From experience, a willingness to confront the party line is always the right response in those circumstances. However, the welcome afforded to this “purge” of the moderates by many party members indicates that a rebellious streak is only really indulged if the rebellion is in pursuit of a cause with which our members agree.

A no-deal Brexit is apparently just such a cause. I believe that the Conservative Party has now crossed the Rubicon. We are no longer a broad church but rather increasingly an obsessed sect that places more emphasis on a no-mandate no-deal Brexit than on the traditional staples of Conservative governments.

On the altar of a no-deal Brexit, it would appear that we are willing to sacrifice our reputation for fiscal prudence, championing business and wealth creators and our rejection of ideology over common sense. These were all staples of the Conservative offer that brought me into the Conservative and Unionist Party.

It seems that all of them are being rejected, as is our commitment to the Union, in pursuit of a no-deal Brexit that is more about the perception of party survival than looking after the national interest.

At the height of the leadership election, an opinion poll highlighted that a majority of Conservative members were willing to sacrifice the Union, our economic well-being and even the Conservative Party in order to deliver a no-deal Brexit. Yesterday, our populist but increasingly desperate Prime Minister took the first decisive step to destroy the Conservative Party as we know it.

I supported making time for the Benn Bill because I believe that a no-deal Brexit is bad for the Union, bad for business, bad for our country and, in the long-term, terminal for the Conservative Party. I know I have done the right thing on this issue for the good of my country and constituency.

As for the Conservative Party – why should I care about a party that even its members believe should be sacrificed in pursuit of a no-deal Brexit?