A Tory MP has reignited a civil war within the party by taking a swipe at right-wing colleagues in other factions.
One Nation MP Matt Warman joked at an event on Tuesday night that his group does not need to pretend there are “five families” of MPs to “make ourselves look bigger than we are”.
Five groups of Conservatives – dubbing themselves the “five families” – last month united to try to influence Rishi Sunak over the Rwanda Bill.
Mr Warman said: “The One Nation has been a much louder voice in the past few months than it has for a long time.
“We’ve been unashamed in putting ourselves forward. We haven’t had to claim that there are five different groups to make ourselves look bigger than we actually are because the One Nation is the largest group. It’s the largest wing of the Conservative Parliamentary Party by far with more than 100 declared members.
“We haven’t had to put common sense in the name of the group, like the democratic republic pretending that it is a democratic republic.”
The “five families” of MPs include the New Conservatives, the European Research Group, the Common Sense Group and the Northern Research Group.
Mr Warman made the jibe at a One Nation event attended by around 180 people at The Reform Club in London.
A senior Tory MP said: “Matt Warman that great ‘one nation’ man. Who was on the exec of Conservative Way Forward in order to get selected as a right winger. What a w****r.”
Security Minister Tom Tugendhat accused Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of being “allergic to conviction” at the reception.
He said: “For a man who wants to be Prime Minister he’s adopted more positions than the Kamasutra but none of them lasted longer than a teenager at Prom.
“What does he stand for? I don’t know.
“When More in Common asked the public what they thought Sir Keir stood for, the most common response was ‘nothing’, closely followed by ‘don’t know’, ‘unsure’, and ‘no idea’.
“He was going to guarantee free childcare. Now he says he’s ruling that out. He would end outsourcing in the NHS. Now that’s the whole plan.
“He said he’d sweep away the cobwebs in the Lords, but Peter Mandelson disapproved. Now he’s rowed back on everything, what are we left with? Nothing. A willow the wisp in a wig.
“To be fair, he has been consistent – whether for himself or his clients – he’s allergic to conviction.
“But for those of us who know what this country needs, that’s not good enough.
“That’s why we believe in a Conservative government in the One Nation tradition.
He added: “We’re not interested in blue on blue. Compare that to the other choices that will be on the ballot later this year. Ed Davey, who’s finally receiving the publicity he craves – if not quite in the way he expected it.”
