In a party so ill-disciplined that top secret decisions like Huawei landing Britain’s 5G contract get leaked to the Telegraph, it is perhaps no wonder Government whips have had their work cut out of late.

As the MPs responsible for making sure as many members of their party as possible vote the way Theresa May wants, it is fair to say Brexit hasn’t brought out the best in the current crop of whips.

Reports of dirty tricks and skullduggery lie at the heart of an aggressive campaign to persuade Tories to back the Prime Minister’s widely unpopular withdrawal agreement.

Yesterday Johnny Mercer, the Conservative MP for Plymouth Moor View, once again accused the Government’s enforcement officers of conducting a smear campaign against him after confronting Julian Smith, the Chief Whip, at a meeting on Tuesday, accompanied by two lawyers.

It came after the former Army officer accused Smith’s deputy, Chris Pincher, of secretly contacting former servicemen in order to gather ‘dirt’ on him.