West Dorset MP reveals he voted to oust PM
It comes in the wake of landslide Conservative defeats this week.
The MP for West Dorset, Chris Loder, has revealed he voted to oust the Prime Minister in this month's confidence vote.
It comes in the wake of landslide defeats for Conservatives in the Tiverton and Honiton by-elections, a defeat Mr Loder calls 'sobering'.
Much like those constituencies, Mr Loder's seat as an MP is considered a safe one. It has only ever had a conservative MP since 1885, the first time a majority of adult men could vote.
But Mr Loder says the 'sobering' result is the product of an alienated South West region and the Prime Minister's handling of the Partygate Scandal.
He says people here are tired of hearing about investment in the North with very little mentioned for the South West.
He told us ever since the Tiverton and Honiton result was revealed on Friday, he's been getting lots of letters.
"They have been mixed responses. Some of whom are very supportive of the Prime Minister, some of whom, it's fair to say the majority, have not been supported of the Prime Minister.
"I have told those constituents that when we had the vote earlier in June that I opposed the Prime Minister when we had the 1922 committee vote at the beginning of the month."
The Prime Minister has said he is listening to what people are saying, but he's got to keep going.
Mr Loder said:
"I'm pleased the Prime Minister is listening to the views of constituents in Tiverton and Honiton but I think it's now the responsibility of my colleagues and I to ensure that he hears very loudly and very clearly the message sent from the South West.
"We need to see some clarity in terms of priorities, some clarity in terms of the policy. I think the Prime Minister needs to ensure that trust is restored to the extent where those people who've had some question marks over his leadership will be happy to vote for him. That's a tough task I think."