Nadine Dorries blames Rishi Sunak for ‘ruthless coup’ that ousted Boris Johnson

Ms Dorries, who is supporting Liz Truss, also insisted the Prime Minister is not supporting a campaign to get his name put on the ballot to decide the next leader.

She said: “I am bitterly disappointed that Boris Johnson was removed by a ruthless coup, as he was, led largely by Rishi Sunak.

“Removing a sitting Prime Minister who won us an 80-seat majority less than three years ago, who took us through Covid and led the world in the response to the war in Ukraine – defenestrating that Prime Minister was never going to be a clean or easy thing for anyone to do.

“It was always going to have repercussions. I think I said at the very beginning we kind of unleashed the hounds of hell in doing that.”

Asked about her comments on Mr Sunak’s expensive suit and shoes, Ms Dorries said: “Judgment is a huge issue. We are facing a cost-of-living crisis.”

Ms Dorries was also quizzed on a petition to get Mr Johnson’s name on the ballot going to Tory members, and said the Prime Minister told her “‘Tell them to stop, it’s not right’ – they were his words, his exact words”.

She also dismissed a Daily Mirror report that she might consider giving up her relatively safe seat so Mr Johnson does not have to defend his more marginal Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency.

Ms Dorries said the claim is “100 per cent nuclear grade tosh”.

It came as the Culture Secretary was also forced to defend the expense of hosting the Commonwealth games, which had a £778 million budget funded by the Government and Birmingham City Council.

Ms Dorries told Sky News: “It’s not a vanity project… This is hugely important.

“Are you saying we shouldn’t have the Commonwealth Games?

"I think we are proud and honoured to have picked up the baton when it was dropped elsewhere in the world and to continue to run these Commonwealth Games in the amazing way that we have done.”