Lee Anderson revealed he wants to return to the party that “rescued him” when he was politically homeless.
The former Conservative deputy chairman said he would be happy to sit down with Rishi Sunak to discuss the Islamophobia row but insisted he is not prepared to apologise.
Mr Anderson, who represents Ashfield in Nottinghamshire, said he has been inundated with messages of support from across the country and was even given a standing ovation when he walked into his local pub at the weekend.
He told the Daily Express: “There’s a Westminster bubble. We get engulfed in this nonsense that we think we are all right and we are not.
“The people out in the country are right, not us.”
Mr Anderson added: “I think we are out of touch. I have always said it. We are out of touch with the people of this country.
“When I went home last week I went to my local pub and walked in and people stood up and clapped me.
“We are supposed to be here to represent people. That’s difficult because you can’t represent everybody the same because people have different opinions and political beliefs etc.
“But you have got to be able to read the room in your own constituency. And I think I am reading the room in Ashfield anyway.
“And the amount of emails I’ve had from around the country I think I am reading the room in the country as well.”
Mr Anderson said he has had lots of support locally and nationally, with more than 2,500 emails from around the country in support, the highest amount on any single topic, while only around ten have written in to criticise him.
As one of the most high profile members of the Conservative Party, the MP has spent the last year speaking at local constituency associations, clocking up more than 80 events.
His calendar is full until Christmas but there is now a question mark over whether the engagements will now go ahead.
Two booked in for this week have been put on hold.
Although he remains a member of the party and could still attend, the now independent MP said he did not want to “embarrass” the Conservatives.
He added: “I’ve got a lot of support from the membership, my inbox tells me that.
“When the members ask their MP or local association to ask Lee Anderson to come, that’s quite an honour for me, so that’s why I go.”
Mr Anderson said it was a source of sadness to have had the whip withdrawn.
“The party has done a lot for me,” he said. “It rescued me when I was politically homeless.
“Of course I want to be back in the party but I stand by the things I said last week and I won’t apologise.”
Mr Anderson said he “of course” would sit down with the Prime Minister to discuss the row and would meet members of the muslim community.
“I would sit down with anybody,” he said.
