Nadine Dorries’s Twitter game backfires

The current impotence of the Prime Minister can be measured in many forms. But one of them is just how few Cabinet ministers are willing to go out and give Boris Johnson their full-throated support on various media platforms. 

It’s telling that of the 30 or so ministers attending Cabinet, only two seem to be shouldering most of the responsibility: Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadine Dorries. But while Mogg tends to focus his energies on traditional broadcasters, Dorries prefers taking to Twitter to proclaim her loyalty and decry the waverers.

Unfortunately, the recently-appointed Culture Secretary appears to be embracing her social media brief a little too enthusiastically. Not only did she retweet comedian Joe Lycett's mocking tweet feigning support for Johnson, but her constant snark at Tory waverers is beginning to seriously rile her backbench colleagues. 

Having sent her special adviser along to crash last week's Carlton Club meeting of the so-called 'pork pie' plotters, Dorries then redoubled her efforts last night, posting a picture of her dinner last night to take aim at those allegedly involved.

Such sass hasn't gone down well with the Culture Secretary's younger colleagues. One told Mr S: 'She's alienating wavering colleagues and her interventions are actually making a confidence vote more likely' and warned that 'this sort of approach will soon lead to open warfare in the party.' 

Some of those who attended the infamous meeting last week claim to merely have concerns about recent developments and resent having their loyalty questioned; others dislike seeing a more senior colleague mock them online.

Given many on the back benches already feel unloved and unappreciated by the current regime, is goading them on Twitter really the best way to stop more letters going in?

The current impotence of the Prime Minister can be measured in many forms. But one of them is just how few Cabinet ministers are willing to go out and give Boris Johnson their full-throated support on various media platforms. 

It’s telling that of the 30 or so ministers attending Cabinet, only two seem to be shouldering most of the responsibility: Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadine Dorries. But while Mogg tends to focus his energies on traditional broadcasters, Dorries prefers taking to Twitter to proclaim her loyalty and decry the waverers.

The current impotence of the Prime Minister can be measured in many forms. But one of them is just how few Cabinet ministers are willing to go out and give Boris Johnson their full-throated support on various media platforms. 

It’s telling that of the 30 or so ministers attending Cabinet, only two seem to be shouldering most of the responsibility: Jacob Rees-Mogg and Nadine Dorries. But while Mogg tends to focus his energies on traditional broadcasters, Dorries prefers taking to Twitter to proclaim her loyalty and decry the waverers.