Conservative MPs have condemned Nadine Dorries for retweeting a mocked-up image of Rishi Sunak stabbing Boris Johnson in the back with a knife in the wake of the murder of Sir David Amess.

 

Over the weekend, the Culture Secretary shared a doctored image on Twitter which portrayed Mr Johnson as Julius Caesar, with Mr Sunak as Brutus wielding a knife behind his back.

In response, a string of Conservative MPs have quickly condemned Ms Dorries and branded the attacks on the former chancellor as "dangerous" in the wake of the murder of Southend West MP Sir David Amess.

 

Business minister Greg Hands described Ms Dorries' actions as "distasteful" and "dangerous", telling Sky News: "I'm sure Liz Truss would disown this kind of behaviour.

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"I think this is appalling. Look, it's not even a year since the stabbing of Sir David Amess at his Southend constituency surgery, so I think this is very, very bad taste, dangerous even".

Mr Hands, who is backing Mr Sunak in the race for No 10, added: "I do find it distasteful."

Sir David received more than 20 stab injuries and died at the scene at a constituency surgery in Leigh last October.

Ali Harbi Ali, the homegrown terrorist who murdered the veteran MP, was handed a whole-life prison term in April.

Simon Hoare, chair of the Northern Ireland select committee, tweeted that the image Ms Dorries shared was "utterly, utterly tasteless".

He added: "Remembering, with respect, our fallen colleagues David Amess and Jo Cox. The injured Stephen Timms. I will just leave it there.”