Who is Conservative Party's Chief Whip? Read to know

Last night, despite the fact that many Conservatives had moral objections to fracking, Conservative whips insisted that all members of the party vote against Labour's motion. This led to turmoil in Westminster.

Cabinet ministers have been charged with coercing, intimidating and even "manhandling" colleagues into supporting the government's position on fracking.

They would face the threat of having the whip taken away if they disobeyed this.

Who is Wendy Morton?

The Conservative Chief Whip was Wendy Morton, but she has reportedly resigned. Craig Whittaker is the Conservative Party's acting Chief Whip now. Disciplining MPs is essentially the Chief Whip's responsibility.

To guarantee that the most significant number of party members cast their votes in the party's preferred manner, each party chooses MPs or Lords for the position of Chief Whip or Whip. This could be to pass or change a law, or the party might even be opposed to a bill becoming law at all.

The chief whip's responsibility is to supervise and manage the whipping procedure. To keep MPs in line, they have been known to utilise strong persuasion or even coercion.

What happened last night?

However, it appears Liz Truss was successful in persuading the two to remain, as Downing Street later announced that both "remain in office."

According to Anne-Marie Trevelyan, Transport Secretary, the chief whip has not resigned following last night's Commons vote.

FAQs

1. What would happen if the cabinet ministers disobeyed?
   They would face the threat of having the whip taken away if they disobeyed this.
2. Who is the Transport Secretary?
   Anne-Marie Trevelyan is the Transport Secretary.