Michael Fabricant becomes the fourth Tory in three weeks to leave their post unceremoniously, sacked as party vice chairman by Grant Shapps last night. He says he was given the chop after refusing to resign for tabling a wrecking amendment to the government’s HS2 bill and tweeting “about time” when Maria Miller was slotted. This may be his most telling of tweets:

Note to self: If ever a minister again, be like Mark Harper. If in trouble, resign quickly & in a dignified manner. Lesson to us all.

— Michael Fabricant 🇬🇧🇮🇱🇺🇦 (@Mike_Fabricant) April 9, 2014

Tory sources say they regret it came to this and insist the decision was due to HS2 and his “general lack of discipline on Twitter”. Rather than anything else. Guido has always enjoyed bumping into Fabbers on the terrace – his Twitter feed will no doubt be all the more interesting in the weeks and months ahead…