Tobias Ellwood will face a motion of no-confidence in his Chairmanship of the Defence Committee after he praised Taliban-controlled Afghanistan as a “country transformed” in a now-deleted Twitter post. Ellwood has faced a strong retaliation to his remarks, not least from Mark Francois, who blasted the “silly and naive” intervention. As a result, a remorseful Ellwood told Piers Morgan Uncensored, that “the last couple of days have probably been my most miserable as a Member of Parliament”. Guido’s heart bleeds.

Ellwood carried out a swift retreat, at Piers’ request he deleted the video and he has since issued a clarifying statement. This hasn’t deterred the Defence Committee’s counter-offensive. The Times reports Tobias was informed of the plot on Wednesday, as MPs have tabled a confidence motion – meaning a vote will take place in September. The rebels are confident of victory.