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Conservative peer Michael Heseltine has had the party whip withdrawn after saying he would vote for the Lib Dems.
The ex-deputy prime minister has said he would not back the Tories in this week’s European Parliament elections because of its pro-Brexit stance.
A Tory Party spokesperson said Lord Heseltine’s views on Europe were “longstanding and sincerely held”.
But he added that endorsing another party was “not compatible with taking the Tory whip”.
“As a result, the Chief Whip in the House of Lords has informed Lord Heseltine that he will have the Conservative whip suspended. This will be reviewed if he is willing to support Conservative candidates at future elections,” the spokesperson said.
Having the whip taken away means a parliamentarian is effectively expelled from their party and that they must sit in Parliament as an independent until the whip is restored.
Lord Heseltine, a passionate opponent of Brexit, revealed that he would be voting for the Liberal Democrats in an article for the Sunday Times.
Speaking to Sky News, he said: “They can take away the whip but they cannot take away my integrity, my convictions or my experience. I am a Conservative.”
Earlier on Monday, the 86-year-old told BBC 5 live that he was “lending” his support to the Lib Dem candidate in his area as he was “not prepared to indulge in this act of national sacrifice by voting for Brexit”.
His announcement angered Brexiteers in his party, with MPs suggesting he had broken internal rules by endorsing another party.
Speaking to Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 5 live, Andrew Bridgen suggested “there really is no place for someone with his views in the Conservative Party”.
“I find Lord Heseltine’s arrogance that he knows better than the majority of the electorate really quite breathtaking.”
However Conservative former minister Sir Nicholas Soames told Channel 4 News withdrawing the whip from Lord Heseltine was “a really stupid, bovine thing to do”.
The UK will take part in the elections for the European Parliament on 23 May after the government was unable to agree a Brexit deal.
