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Tories are tearing up their party membership cards in anger at Theresa May, making themselves ineligbile to vote in an upcoming Conservative leadership election.

May’s decision to enter into talks with Jeremy Corbyn could move the Tories to the Left as rage on the party’s Right looks set to backfire.

Among those publicly displaying their torn-up cards was the leader of Moggmentum, the grassroots youth movement to promote Jacob Rees-Mogg. Last night the official Moggmentum account tweeted: “Goodbye Conservatives — I won’t be campaigning for you now... you have Theresa May to blame.”

May’s move would have come as a surprise to members, as earlier this year Brandon Lewis, the Conservative Party chairman said: “What Corbyn has done to his own party is shameful, what he would do to our country would be a tragedy.”

Moggmentum was supposed to be the hard-Right’s answer to the success of Left-wing group Momentum, but not being within the party means its members will be shouting from the outside.

Fellow Rightwingers tried to cool the anger by pointing out that this will prevent them from having any say in the upcoming leadership election.

May has pledged to step down if MPs pass her Brexit deal. The next stage would be for the parliamentary party to select two candidates before putting it to Tory members for a vote.

This morning, Rees-Mogg was also on uncharacteristically ratty form when being interviewed by Mishal Husain on the Today programme, telling her to “stop interrupting me so much”.

When The Londoner caught up with Rees-Mogg and asked him how he felt about the spate of resignations he was more emollient.

“I am sorry to hear it,” he said. “The party belongs to its members not its leader. I think it is a pity that someone should resign because of a temporary policy disagreement.”

In the upcoming Tory civil war it seems one side has already called it quits.

The horse's mouth

Controversial MP Chris Williamson is set to appear in a film about life in his parliamentary office inspired by the BBC show Inside Obama’s White House.

The Derby North MP lost the Labour whip earlier this year over his comments about Labour’s handling of anti-Semitism.

Now the film, made by his ex-staffer Umaar Kazmi, could reopen old wounds.

It was shot in June 2018, while the anti-Semitism row was raging. Kazmi says: “I replaced narration [in the film] by just letting Chris and his staff speak.” That hasn’t always worked out well.

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Dani Dyer, Love Island star and daughter of Danny, has launched her first book with an unlikely endorsement. “She’s the nation’s sweetheart and if it was the Oscar or Dani, it would be Dani every time,” gushes Academy Award-winning actor Eddie Redmayne. There are more surprises in store. Dyer’s opening line reads: “Oh my God, I’m actually writing a book!”

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When Labour peer Maurice Glasman moved to a house in Palmers Green “on the edge of the North Circular”, his mum “still used to send us into the garden to get fresh air”. But, Baron Glasman told a Policy Exchange event yesterday, the pollution was so bad “I used to smoke to get some fresh air”.

A Fleabag dream

Dolly Alderton, author of the bestselling memoir Everything I Know About Love, says she wants to bring her smash hit to the small screen.

“I’m adapting the book for TV at the moment,” she tells The Londoner, “it’s in its final stages of script drafting” and will be a “comedy/drama”.

Alderton is hoping to send it out to “various networks and channels” soon. Could it be the next Fleabag? “Oh God, I wish.”

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The vaults were thrown open last night as singer Nicola Roberts (above) and actor Jason Isaacs celebrated the launch of Gringotts Wizarding Bank at Warner Bros Studio Tour London. Let’s hope they’re not offering wizarding payday loans.

It's la dolce vita! Alexa throws a pasta and bubbly party in Shoreditch

Alexa Chung knows how to throw a party: fashionable friends, family, pasta, champagne, and lots of dancing. Those were the ingredients on the menu last night as the fashion icon celebrated the launch of her new fashion range for Superga.

She was joined by actor Tanya Burr, model Betty Bachz and artist Phoebe Collings-James at Gloria trattoria in Shoreditch.

Guests at the launch were treated to an Italian feast — “Bye bye diet,” Bachz joked — before dancing the night away to music by Alexa’s long-term friend and DJ Lou Hayter.

Dom Chung, the DJ and head of music for Soho House, turned out to support his little sister, as did Chidera Eggerue.

Eggerue, who goes by pen name The Slumflower, is the author of the bestselling book What a Time to Be Alone and founder of the campaign we never knew we needed: #SaggyBoobsMatter.

SW1A

The former culture minister Ed Vaizey has condemned the Palace of Westminster as “a heritage building [that] fosters heritage politics” and called for the construction of a “new fit-for-purpose, modern building”. Vaizey labelled the palace an “antiquated, hyper-masculine fortress of a building”, writing in Apollo magazine that it discourages diversity.

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Brexit debates could soon be improved — by hangry MPs. Café staff at Portcullis House, the hub of Westminster chit-chat, report that works are due to be undertaken on the catering facilities over Easter. But the planned recess has been called off. So not only will MPs be cancelling their holidays but they will be deciding our future on empty stomachs.

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Lisa Nandy, Labour MP for Wigan, coined a new excuse for being late yesterday, apologising to an audience: “I got Brexited on the way here.”

Quote of the Day

'Turning excited toddlers out into the garden usually works'

Emily Thornberry says the lunchtime break in the Downing Street garden was the secret of yesterday's cabinet meeting