Tory MP Accuses Party Whips Of Deliberately Leaking Telegraph's “Brexit Mutineers” Story

15 November 2017, 16:42 | Updated: 15 November 2017, 16:51

A Tory MP pictured beside 15 rebels on the Daly Telegraph’s “Brexit mutineers” front page has accused party whips of “deliberately” leaking the story.

Sarah Wollaston said she had been left scratching her head after her “private conversations” with the Whips’ Office had made it into the national spotlight.

The MP for Totnes is among a number of Tories who were outed by the paper on Wednesday for preparing to vote against the government on the EU Withdrawal Bill's second reading.

Ms Wollaston told Iain Dale she was not attempting to “frustrate” the Brexit process, insisting she was “doing her job” in trying to get the best possible deal for the UK.

She said she wasn’t aware that she would be named in the Telegraph and only found out this morning while visiting her father in hospital.

The politician told Iain: “It’s about having a private conversation with the Whips’ Office to express some concern and then suddenly finding yourself on the front page of the Telegraph as if you’re trying to frustrate Brexit, which could not be further from the truth.”

Iain replied: “How do you think your name got into the Telegraph then?”

To which Ms Wollaston responded: “I think it was probably deliberately given to them.”

“This was a private conversation,” she added. “This wasn’t me out there rattling the cages and saying ‘I’m going to vote against it’.

“And then suddenly you find yourself on the front page of the Telegraph and that’s the wrong way to go about these things.”