'I am NOT!' Stephen Dixon RAGES at Tory MP and blasts 'read the room' in heated row

The former shadow cabinet minister was dismissed by party leader Kemi Badenoch, who cited compelling proof that he had been secretly scheming to switch allegiances.

Stephen Dixon said: "I wonder if you’re reading the room because what you said, and frankly the way you said it, might have washed five or even ten years ago.

"But does it wash now? You talk about bringing in radical change, yet the only party actually talking about truly radical change and doing so in a strong, dynamic and straight-talking way that appeals to the British people, whether you like it or not is Reform UK.”

Nick Timothy fumed in response: "It is almost like you are an activist for them Stephen."

Ouraged, Stephen fired back: "No, no let me clarify. I’m certainly not an activist for any political party. I’m talking about what I see when I’m out and about meeting real people.

"They’re excited by politics when it’s delivered in a straight-talking way and that’s what you’re missing at the moment."

“What I was saying is that there is a world of difference between talking about radical change and then doing the very serious hard yards needed to be in a position to deliver that change.

"I will speak for the Conservative Party, not for other parties.

"The Conservative Party is incredibly serious about the work we need to do in the months and years ahead of the next election, so that we are not just promising things through rhetoric or making empty noises and slogans, but putting forward serious plans that the country needs.

"That means developing a new economic model, strengthening our borders again, restoring our lost sense of shared identity, and reforming the state so that Government can actually get things done.

"Those are the serious challenges the country faces. We’ve just had a government elected that talked a good game but had no serious plan to deliver.

"Our job over the next couple of years is to do that work properly, and when we are ready to put a full prospectus to the country, I am confident people will listen.

"I spend a lot of time speaking to people in my constituency and across the country. I’m very visible and available in Suffolk, but I also travel widely, and polling backs this up: over the last several months, the country has started to listen again to Kemi Badenoch and to the Conservative Party.

"After the last election, people understandably didn’t want to hear from us. But we’ve shown contrition. I am prepared to look people in the eye and say we let the country down.

That is the first step towards earning the right to be heard again and only by doing that can we truly understand what the country needs and offer it a credible future.”

The heated exchange came against the backdrop of significant turmoil within Conservative ranks following Robert Jenrick's dramatic departure to Reform UK.

The former shadow cabinet minister was dismissed by party leader Kemi Badenoch, who cited compelling proof that he had been secretly scheming to switch allegiances.

Mrs Badenoch stated she had been given "clear, irrefutable evidence that he was plotting in secret to defect in a way designed to be as damaging as possible to his shadow cabinet colleagues and the wider Conservative Party."

The Conservative leader also stripped Mr Jenrick of the party whip and suspended his membership."