Nadine Dorries has accused fellow Tory MPs of staging a “coup” against Boris Johnson.
The Culture Secretary has been one of the Prime Minister’s most ardent supporters, sticking by him even as support for his leadership collapsed at Westminster.
In a pre-released clip from BBC Panorama, Ms Dorries says: “I was quite stunned that there were people who thought that removing the Prime Minister who won the biggest majority that we’ve had since Margaret Thatcher in less than three years.
“Just the the anti-democratic nature of what they’re doing alone was enough to alarm me.
“And for me it was a coup”.
The full interview on the investigative TV programme will air later on Wednesday.
Ms Dorries made the same claim on Monday, when she also criticised those who moved against Mr Johnson.
“14 million people voted for the Prime Minister and a group of MPs, ministers, the Chancellor, his sitting Chancellor, via what is effectively a coup, removed him,” she told GB News.
Ms Dorries has thrown her weight behind Foreign Secretary Liz Truss in the Tory leadership contest that will select Mr Johnson’s successor at No 10.
She has led an attack on Ms Truss’ rival, Rishi Sunak, whose resignation as Chancellor last week is seen by Johnson allies as key in ending the Prime Minister’s grip on No 10.
Ms Dorries accused Mr Sunak’s campaign team of using the “dark arts” following claims they tried to “syphon off” votes to ensure Jeremy Hunt cleared the threshold to enter the contest because they believed Mr Sunak would beat him in a run-off vote of party members.
