Which Cabinet attendees have defied the whip this year?

Boris Johnson is among a list of MPs who have defied the whip this year, despite Conservative MPs who vote against the Government this week being warned they will be banned from standing for the party at the next election.

A senior source from the Tory whips office said that any MP who defies the the party “will have the whip withdrawn and will not stand as (a) Conservative candidate in an election”.

Former chancellor Philip Hammond called the move “staggeringly hypocritical”, and the PA news agency can count at least nine MPs attending Cabinet who have voted against the whip this year.

The former rebels are:

Boris Johnson – The Prime Minister voted against Theresa May at the first two readings of the Withdrawal Agreement. He voted in favour of it at the third reading.

Dominic Raab – The Foreign Secretary voted against the Withdrawal Agreement on its first and second readings.

Priti Patel – The Home Secretary voted against the Withdrawal Agreement at all three opportunities.

Grant Shapps – The Transport Secretary voted against Mrs May’s Brexit deal on the first two occasions.

Theresa Villiers – The Environment Secretary voted to reject Mrs May’s Brexit deal on all three readings.

Esther McVey – The Housing Minister resigned as Mrs May’s work and pensions secretary in November 2018. Since then, she has voted against the Withdrawal Agreement on two occasions.

Amber Rudd  – The Work and Pensions Secretary abstained on a Government motion ruling out a no-deal Brexit in all circumstances on March 13. There was a three-line Conservative whip to oppose the motion.

Jacob Rees-Mogg – The former chairman of the hard-Brexit supporting European Research Group (ERG) is now Leader of the House of Commons, and opposed Mrs May’s Withdrawal Agreement twice.

Jo Johnson – The Prime Minister’s brother now attends Cabinet as a business minister, he endorses the People’s Vote campaign, and voted against the Withdrawal Agreement three times.