Nadine Dorries Sparks Fury with ‘Brutus Stabbing Boris’ Tweet
Conservative MP Nadine Dorries has ignited a fierce backlash after sharing a photoshopped image showing Rishi Sunak as Brutus stabbing Boris Johnson as Julius Caesar in the back. The viral tweet has been slammed as offensive and “dangerous” by senior Tories.
‘Dangerous’ Political Drama Triggers Outrage
Sunak’s allies were quick to condemn the portrait as tasteless. Greg Hands called it “dangerous,” while Welsh Secretary Sir Robert Buckland blasted it as “not just incendiary – it’s wrong.” Business minister Hands reminded everyone that the country is still reeling from the murder of MP Sir David Amess, stabbed less than a year ago during a constituency event.
“It’s in very bad taste, even dangerous. I find it repugnant, especially since it happened less than a year ago.” – Greg Hands
Former Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, backing Liz Truss, distanced the former Foreign Secretary from the image. “This is not a comment from Liz’s team, her campaign, or Liz herself,” he said, stressing that “Nadine speaks for herself.”
Tory Heavyweights Demand a Step Back from Personal Attacks
Other senior Tory MPs also blasted Dorries. Simon Hoare called the stunt “divisive, disingenuous, and disturbing,” warning it was “harmful to the party.”
“With respect, we remember our fallen colleagues David Amess and Jo Cox.” – Simon Hoare
Robert Buckland urged for a focus on policy, not personality. “Personal attacks should wind their neck in,” he said during a BBC Radio Wales interview.
Dorries Defends the ‘Satire’ Amid Growing Tory Feud
Dorries’ camp insisted the image was “obviously satirical” political commentary, referencing similar cartoons from 2016 targeting Michael Gove. “Of course, some people will want to be deliberately offended…” said a Dorries ally.
The tweet comes amid heated Tory infighting. Dorries, a staunch Boris Johnson supporter, has recently ramped up criticism of Sunak, accusing him of orchestrating a “Tudoresque” coup in a Mail on Sunday article. That alleged plot forced Johnson’s dramatic resignation following the Chris Pincher scandal.
She’s also defended earlier digs at Sunak’s expensive £450 Prada shoes, mocking him compared to Liz Truss’s “£4.50 Claire’s earrings” – insisting she was warning Tory members “not to be misled by appearances.”
“The assassin’s gleaming smile, gentle voice, and even his diminutive stature had many of us well and truly fooled.” – Nadine Dorries
Dorries claimed Sunak’s choice to wear pricey clothes during a visit to deprived Teeside showed a shocking lack of self-awareness.
Political Backstabbers or Just Satire? The Tory Civil War Rages On
The Brutus-and-Caesar imagery may be ancient history, but the bitterness inside the Conservative Party is all too real – and very public. As the party battles over its future, personal attacks like these threaten to tear it apart.One thing’s clear: this row is far from over.
