Philip Hammond has vowed to resist being pushed out of the Conservative Party by "Downing Street advisers" he claims "care not one jot" about the future of the Tories.

The former chancellor claimed that "entryists and usurpers" have "infiltrated the party ranks" and declared that he won't "have my party taken from me".

In an article for his local newspaper, the Runnymede and Weybridge MP revealed that he was consulting lawyers on the legality of Boris Johnson's decision to withdraw the whip from him and 20 colleagues who rebelled against the Government last week.

He has also written to Mark Spencer, the Chief Whip, demanding a formal explanation of the move and the procedures for challenging it.

It is understood that he and other MPs are preparing to launch a formal appeal against Mr Spencer's decision to withdraw the whip.