MP Tobias Ellwood has been given the Conservative Party whip back in order to vote in the Tory leadership contest.
Boris Johnson stripped Ellwood of the whip on Tuesday, and the right to vote in the leadership election, after he failed to support the government in the confidence vote.
On Wednesday afternoon, the former minister who chairs the Commons defence committee, said he had been given it back temporarily.
“Delighted to report my request for a momentary return of the whip has been granted - just long enough for my poxy vote to be cast,” he tweeted.
However shortly afterwards he deleted the tweet.
Ellwood is a longtime critic of Johnson and is supporting Penny Mordaunt in the leadership race.
The contest between Mordaunt and Liz Truss to join Rishi Sunak in the final two is believed to be close and losing Ellwood’s vote could have been crucial.
A Tory whips office spokesperson said: “From the start of the leadership contest the Whips Office took a neutral position.
“After Tobias Ellwood MP failed to attend an important vote he had the Conservative Party whip suspended.
“To ensure that the Whips Office neutrality in the leadership contest can not be questioned, the Whip has been temporarily unsuspended from Tobias Ellwood MP.
“Upon the conclusion of today’s leadership contest, Tobias Ellwood MP will have the whip suspended.”
Tory MPs are voting in the final ballot of the parliamentary stage, with the result due to be announced at 4pm.
