DEVIZES MP Claire Perry has accused some of the Tory old guard as being a posse of old buffers.

She was outraged by Conservative MP Christopher Chope who blocked a bill on female genital mutilation in the Commons and vented her anger in a WhatsApp group saying that her party was condemning themselves to opposition.

But the conversation that she thought was a private one among women Tory MPs was leaked to BuzzFeed News.

The energy minister, who attends Cabinet, wrote that Chope and his veteran Brexiteer colleagues Peter Bone and Bernard Jenkin "don't give a toss". She wrote: "They are not politicians they are zealots for whom winning an argument beats winning an election."

She continued in the same way criticising the backbenchers saying: "Is anyone else bored to sobs with fighting this posse of old buffers who have achieved their dream of taking over the party again?

"Here’s my prediction: mass exodus of Tory talent at the next election just like the last (both voluntary and involuntary) so we can retreat to being an oppo party of the white shires and Shores and we can talk to each other all day long about utter b....cks!

"I’m off to try and help win a by election. Talking to real people not these antediluvian old sods. Have a jolly day ladies!"

After the leaked message was published Ms Perry remained defiant. In a reply to BuzzFeed she said: "As you know I never comment on leaks to the media and I think it’s a good time to stick to that rule.

"But I will say that I have spoken to three different associations and two business groups in the past 36 hours and the overwhelming view is that we should back the PM, deliver the deal and avoid a disastrous no deal Brexit that a number of people on the hard right of my party appear to crave."