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Lord David Frost, Boris Johnson's former Brexit negotiator and Tory peer, has called on Prime Minister Liz Truss to resign.

Writing in the Telegraph, he said Truss "must leave as soon as possible" and said her successor as leader of the Conservative Party "must be capable, competent, and able to communicate effectively".

"I am very sorry about it, because I had such high hopes," Lord Frost wrote. "Truss just can’t stay in office for one very obvious reason: she campaigned against the policies she is now implementing."

"Her fate is to be the Henry VI of modern politics – a weak figurehead, unable to control the forces around her, occasionally humiliated, and disposed of when she has become inconvenient. Better to go now."

In July, he backed the prime minister's leadership bid, writing in the Telegraph that she "has the right ideas and the energy to deliver them".

The chief whip and deputy chief whip remain in post, the BBC's Chris Mason reports.

This follows reports that they were no longer in their jobs, after confusion during this evening's fracking vote.

Deputy Prime Minister Therese Coffey has said Chief Whip Wendy Morton did a "great job" today, following this evening's vote on fracking.

Speaking to reporters outside the Carlton Club in central London, she said: "It was a great victory today for the Chief Whip, great credit to her."

The government won the vote, but 40 Conservative MPs - including several senior figures - did not vote. MPs had initially been told it was being treated as a vote of no confidence in the prime minister and they would lose the Conservative whip - have to sit as independent MPs - if they did not back it. A minister then said this was not the case and confusion followed.

Earlier Conservative MPs said that Morton was no longer in her role following this evening's chaotic vote on fracking, but there has been no confirmation from the government.

If you're just joining us, Westminster has seen one of its most dramatic days in recent years.

The day kicked off with Liz Truss facing Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs. Our political editor Chris Mason thought it "probably went as well" as she could have hoped. But the chaos of the day was just beginning...

News broke that one of Truss' top advisers, Jason Stein, had been suspended amid reports that he was responsible for negative briefings against former Chancellor Sajid Javid.

Meanwhile, Tory MPs were told a vote on fracking due to be held within hours would be a confidence vote in the government, meaning they could be suspended from the parliamentary party if they voted for it. Three Tory MPs quickly announced their intention to oppose the government.

But attention was quickly diverted back to Downing Street as Home Secretary Suella Braverman resigned, saying she had breached the ministerial code. She used her resignation letter to attack the government's "broken promises".

Braverman was soon replaced by former transport secretary and Rishi Sunak ally Grant Shapps.

By now chaos had broken out in Parliament, after ministers appeared to row back on making the fracking motion a vote of confidence in the PM. According to MPs who witnessed the scenes, Conservative MPs were bullied and manhandled into backing Liz Truss. Ministers denied claims physical force had been used.

At the same time, reports emerged that both the government's Chief Whip, Wendy Morton, and the Deputy Chief Whip Craig Whittaker, were no longer in post. As of now, their positions remain unclear but we're trying to get clarity on this.

Ione Wells
Political correspondent

Earlier this evening, some Conservative MPs told the BBC that Chief Whip Wendy Morton had left her post following chaotic scenes in Parliament.

Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg then told Sky News he was “not entirely clear” what the situation with the chief whip was.

We have been making phone calls to confirm whether she has resigned or quit - but so far it has not been confirmed and no one in the whips' office is currently answering calls.

We'll of course bring you the latest as we get it.

Therese Coffey has denied she "manhandled" Tory MPs to force them to support the government in the fracking vote, sources close to the deputy prime minister have told the PA news agency.

Earlier we heard from Labour MP Chris Bryant, who alleged Tory MP Alexander Stafford had been "physically manhandled" into the voting lobby by a group of cabinet ministers. He said Coffey was among them.

The sources told PA: "Absolutely she was encouraging Con MPs into the government lobby but she didn't manhandle anyone."

Bryant later told Sky News that Stafford was "to my mind, physically manhandled into the lobby," but he also said he didn't want to overstate what he saw, and he was not claiming anyone physically took hold of a member's arm and pulled them into the lobby.

Forty Tory MPs abstained in Labour's fracking motion earlier, external, meaning they did not vote yes or no on it.

Among the MPs who abstained are Chief Whip Wendy Morton. Tory MPs have told the BBC she is no longer in post - though her position is still unclear.

PM Liz Truss is also listed as having not voted. We don't know why she wasn't present.

Other notable MPs who didn't vote are former PM Theresa May, former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng and former Home Secretary Priti Patel.

We don't know how many abstained on principle as Parliament doesn't record the reason for not voting - they may have been unable to be in Westminster.

But given that earlier in the day the vote was being described as a confidence motion, the fact that such senior MPs did not vote will raise eyebrows.

Alexander Stafford, the Tory MP alleged to have been "manhandled" by senior members of the government, has tweeted to say he had a "frank and robust conversation" outside the voting lobby but that was it.

In a tweet, he wrote: "Lots of rumours flying around tonight. This vote was never about fracking but about Labour trying to destabilise the country, and take control of Parliament.

"I had a frank and robust conversation outside the voting lobbies confirming my opposition to fracking, with members of the government, nothing more, reconfirming my position which I spoke about in the Chamber this evening."

Earlier we heard from Labour MP Chris Bryant, who alleged Stafford had been "physically manhandled" into the voting lobby by a group of cabinet ministers.

Bryant claimed to have a photo of the incident on his phone which he said he would hand over to the deputy speaker.

"He will have to speak for himself but he was, to my mind, physically manhandled into the lobby," he told Sky News.

But in the same interview, he said he didn't want to overstate what he saw, and he was not claiming anyone physically took hold of a member's arm and pulled them into the lobby.

We can't verify exactly what happened but it's safe to say we'll be hearing a lot more about this.

Senior Conservative MP Charles Walker tells the BBC that after this evening's events in the voting lobby, he's livid and has run out of patience with his party and his colleagues.

Visibly shaken, Walker says it is "inexcusable" and there is "no coming back" from this for the government.

"I think it's a shambles and a disgrace," Walker says, adding that the current government has damaged his party's reputation.

He says he has had enough of "talentless" people being in cabinet and says he hopes it was worth it for those who backed Liz Truss for a red box or a seat around the cabinet table.

Walker, an MP for 17 years, says many fellow Tory backbenchers are frustrated by the current cabinet and afraid for their jobs.

"Patience has reached the limit," he adds.

Is this a death spiral that will sweep Truss from power?published at 20:07 British Summer Time 19 October 2022

20:07 BST 19 October 2022

Chris Mason
Political editor

This is now a government in a rolling state of chaos.

A senior cabinet minister going on television and not knowing if the Chief Whip Wendy Morton is still in post.

They're the words just now of the Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg.

A vote on fracking which a weak government attempted to turn into a test of strength by saying it was a confidence vote.

And then changing its mind at the last moment.

Chaotic scenes in Parliament.

A home secretary resigns.

A senior adviser to the prime minister suspended.

The blunt question tonight is whether this is part of a death spiral that will sweep Liz Truss from power.

There is a lot of confusion in Westminster tonight.

Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has just said he doesn't know whether Chief Whip Wendy Morton is still in post.

"I am not entirely clear on what the situation is with the chief whip," the cabinet minister told Sky News following the vote on fracking.

Ione Wells
Political correspondent

Tory MPs have told the BBC that the chief whip Wendy Morton, and deputy chief whip, are no longer in post.

The party whips are responsible for party discipline as well as MPs' welfare.

Earlier, Tory MPs were told if they did not vote with the government to oppose a Labour motion on fracking, they would be suspended from the parliamentary party and have to sit as an independent MP.

A few Tory MPs had said publicly they intended to not back the government.

We're hearing more and more about what might have gone on earlier as the government tried to make MPs vote in line with its wishes.

There are a lot of reports swirling around, which we aren't able to verify, but both Labour and SNP MPs have been tweeting about what they say they have seen.

Ione Wells
Political correspondent

The government has defeated Labour’s plans to try and host a vote on the government’s fracking plans.

However, the numbers look like several Tory MPs could well have not supported the government.

Earlier, it was confirmed that this vote was being seen as a de facto vote of confidence in the prime minister and government.

As a result, Tory MPs were effectively told they would be suspended from the parliamentary party - and have to become an independent MP - if they voted against the government.

However, there seems to be now a bit of confusion about whether or not that was the case.

Opposition MPs have asked the government to clarify whether or not it was, and therefore whether Tory MPs were free or not to vote how they wanted to.

Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron asks the deputy speaker if Tory MPs have voted without enough clarity, following confusion over whether the fracking motion was being treated as a vote of confidence in the prime minister.

Earlier, the government told MPs it would be a "confidence motion" but later seemed to row back on that, with climate minister Graham Stuart telling MPs it wasn't a confidence vote moments before voting began.

The deputy speaker replies to Farron saying it is not a point of order for the chair, adding ministers are responsible for their own words.

Senior Labour MP Chris Bryant has urged the deputy speaker to launch an investigation into "scenes in the voting lobby" in Parliament.

Bryant says he saw MPs being "physically manhandled".

He accuses government whips - who enforce discipline - of bullying and harassing his Tory colleagues over the vote that has just taken place.

Labour MP, the shadow Scottish secretary Ian Murray, tweeted that he had "never seen scenes like it" in the voting lobby.

He said he'd seen Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg shouting at his colleagues, whips "screaming at Tories", and "dragging people in".

A point of order has just been raised by Labour, asking if rumours that the government's Chief Whip Wendy Morton has resigned.

Deputy Speaker Eleanor Laing said it was not a matter for the chair - meaning her - to address.

Rumours are swirling on this and we're chasing it - we'll bring you the latest as we get it.

Labour has lost a vote on banning fracking despite some Tory MPs threatening to defy the government over shale gas extraction.

Some 230 MPs voted for the ban, with 326 voting against - a majority of 96.

Labour attempted to use a vote in Parliament to force the introduction of a draft law to ban fracking.

The government had ordered Tory MPs to oppose Labour in the vote, or face expulsion from the parliamentary party.

Ahead of the vote, three Tory MPs - including former climate minister Chris Skidmore - suggested they could not "vote tonight to support fracking".

The vote is the first parliamentary test of the government's fracking plans, but was never likely to be successful given the size of the Conservatives' majority.

There's a lot going on in the Commons right now.

Deputy Speaker Eleanor Laing has just called for order.

"Will the sergeant please investigate the disorder in the 'no' lobby," she asks.

Labour MP Jess Phillips has just said in a tweet that there's a "massive row" between Tory MPs in the voting lobby at Westminster.

It comes after the government threatened to withdraw the whip from Tory MPs who didn't vote the way they wanted, before now appearing to row back on that.

Having the whip withdrawn means an MP is kicked out of the party within Parliament. They remain an MP but immediately become an independent - not aligned to, say, Labour or the Conservatives.

Asked if MPs know whether it is a confidence vote or not, Phillips said: "That was crux of it, no one knew, they were shouting trying to find out what was going on and asking "where is the chief".