Tory MP accused of talking ‘absolute balls’ by colleague in social media row

‘How can you quantify it as “balls” Mr Soames?’

Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns (Parliament Live)

Conservative in-fighting over Brexit has been laid bare once more with MPs trading bitter exchanges on social media, and one senior Tory accusing a colleague of talking “absolute balls”.

In a sign of how divided the party has become in recent months – and with leadership contest looming – MPs used their official Twitter accounts to hurl abuse at one another on Tuesday.

Sharing a link to an article of an event involving Tory leadership contenders hoping to replace Theresa May and the junior minister Victoria Atkins, Brexiteer Tory MP Andrea Jenkyns said: “I won’t vote for her.”

She then went on to claim Ms Atkins had “sneered” when she took her son Clifford to an event after the general election and “thinks it’s acceptable for her to bad mouth me”.

“She also said myself/ERG [European Research Group] to blame for no Brexit!”

But the Tory MP Nicholas Soames – the grandson of former prime minister Winston Churchill – hit back with the lengthy hashtag: #absoluteballsgetalife.

Ms Jenkyns replied: “How can you quantify it as “balls” Mr Soames? You were not party to the incidents or conversations, other colleagues have told me of more incidents about this lady. And I am happy with my life thank you very much.”

Wading into the public row, the pro-EU MP Antoinette Sandbach said: “Andrea you tweeted the article saying you wouldn’t vote for Victoria having not bothered to read the article in which she made it clear she was not standing.”

But Ms Jenkyn’s attempted to defend her post, replying: “And here comes Ms Sandbanch wading in as usual. I see the stop Brexit MPs like to stick together!”.

Asked for their thoughts on the exchange between Conservative MPs, a Labour source said: “This spectacular self-destruction of the Tory Party would be entertaining if this lot weren’t running the country into the ground.”