Wendy Morton: I’ll never forget chaotic vote that sank Liz Truss

Former main whip Wendy Morton handed successful her resignation to Liz Truss aft a chaotic ballot that yet led to the then-PM's downfall, she has revealed.

Ms Truss refused to judge Ms Morton's resignation, arsenic she battled to clasp her authorities together.

But the PM stepped down the pursuing day, erstwhile it became wide that she had mislaid the assurance of her MPs.

It "was 1 of those nights that I volition astir apt ne'er forget", Ms Morton told the BBC's Politics Live.

As main whip, it was her occupation to get Tory MPs to ballot with the authorities - but galore had refused to bash truthful connected the evening of 19 October due to the fact that they opposed Ms Truss's argumentation connected fracking.

MPs had been told it amounted to a assurance ballot successful the authorities successful an effort to get them successful line.

But determination was disorder implicit whether that was truly the lawsuit and the disarray that followed, with claims Tory MPs were being bullied by ministers into backing the government, proved to beryllium the opening of the extremity for Ms Truss's short-lived premiership.

Ms Morton - who was a cardinal governmental state of Ms Truss - told the BBC she had since "spent a batch of clip reflecting on" the ballot successful October. She confirmed that it had been a assurance vote.

Speaking connected the Politics Live programme, Ms Morton said she resigned arsenic main whip "on the ground that No 10 were interfering" successful the vote.

"I consciousness truthful powerfully astir the integrity of the main whip and the reddish lines that I have," Ms Morton told the BBC. "But the premier curate would not judge my resignation truthful I continued."

She said her speech with Ms Truss was "robust but it was respectful", adding: "I person spoken to her since."

"We had java with her conscionable the different week," Ms Morton said.

Ms Truss's premiership unravelled wrong 24 hours of the fateful vote, arsenic a groundswell of Conservative MPs urged her to basal down.

Sir Graham Brady - the president of the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs - told the BBC helium had decided to telephone Downing Street to archer Ms Truss her presumption was "unsustainable" pursuing the "utter chaos" of the vote.

Confusion reigned aft Labour brought a ballot connected whether MPs should get a accidental connected the government's fracking plans.

Conservative MPs were initially told the ballot would beryllium treated arsenic a trial of loyalty to the authorities - a question of assurance - and if they did not reason the Labour program they could get kicked retired of the parliamentary party.

Tory whips, who are liable for subject successful the parliamentary party, ordered their MPs to ballot against the motion.

But then, conscionable minutes earlier the vote, clime curate Graham Stuart rowed backmost connected this astatine the despatch box, wherever helium suggested it was not a ballot of confidence.

Jacob Rees-Mogg - who was concern caput astatine the clip - blamed the disorder connected "a inferior authoritative astatine 10 Downing Street [who] sent a connection done to the beforehand seat that it was not a ballot of assurance and cipher other was alert of that".

Chaotic scenes successful the voting lobby followed, arsenic whips tried to get Tory MPs to reason the Labour motion.

Labour MP Chris Bryant said what helium saw was "clear bullying", and House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle ordered an probe into the incident.

Mr Hoyle said portion "the ambiance was tense", determination was nary grounds "of immoderate bullying oregon undue power placed connected different members".