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Tory party tensions escalate amid talk of calls for PM to step down

Tory tensions appear to be escalating after two prominent party members suggested that there were calls within their ranks for Prime Minister David Cameron to step aside.

Tory MP Nadine Dorries told Peston on Sunday Mr Cameron could be "toast within days", depending on the referendum vote and said her "letter is already in", along with 50 other MPs, asking for the Prime Minster to stand aside.

Meanwhile Andrew Bridgen told BBC’s 5 Live he thought "we probably need to go for a general election before Christmas and get a new mandate from the people".

It came as senior Vote Leave campaigners Michael Gove and Boris Johnson also called on David Cameron to accept his failure to limit migration as "corrosive of public trust" on Sunday.

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Tory in-fighting a 'diversion' from informed debate about the EU, says Ken Clarke

Credit: Reuters

Voters are fed up with critics of the Prime Minister turning the EU referendum campaign into a "kind of leadership bid", says Ken Clarke.

The former Justice Secretary suggested that pro-Leave campaigners were more interested in ousting David Cameron than contributing to an informed debate about EU membership.

Mr Clarke spoke following a weekend of upheaval in which backbench MPs called Mr Cameron "corrosive" and a "liar" as they planned to topple him even if Remain wins the referendum.

Mr Clarke called for an end to Tory in-fighting on Radio 4's Today programme: "The public are getting fed up with Tory civil wars when they thought they were being asked about the future of this country for their children and grandchildren.

"All this stuff about whether one or two backbenchers have signed letters calling for David Cameron to resign, I think most of the public would agree, is a bit of a diversion."

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Tory party tensions escalate amid talk of calls for PM to step down

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