NADINE Dorries has inadvertently admitted that the UK government's response to the Covid pandemic was "inadequate". 

The startling confession from the Culture Secretary came as she launched a furious attack on Jeremy Hunt ahead of tonight’s ballot on Boris Johnson’s future. 

READ MORE: Boris Johnson: No confidence vote to take place today

While the Prime Minister is expected to survive the vote of no confidence, the party is increasingly divided. The bitter tensions are playing out in public. 

The BBC reported that the nastiness of Ms Dorries's angry Twitter thread had persuaded some backbenchers to rethink their support for Mr Johnson. 

Mr Hunt took to Twitter on Monday morning to say he would be voting against Mr Johnson. He urged colleagues to do the same.

In what will almost certainly be seen as a leadership pitch, Mr Hunt said: “The Conservative party must now decide if it wishes to change its leader. Because of the situation in Ukraine this was not a debate I wanted to have now but under our rules we must do that."

He added: “Having been trusted with power, Conservative MPs know in our hearts we are not giving the British people the leadership they deserve. We are not offering the integrity, competence and vision necessary to unleash the enormous potential of our country.

“And because we are no longer trusted by the electorate, who know this too, we are set to lose the next general election.”

Mr Hunt said he would be “voting for change.”

Ms Dorries, a staunch supporter of Mr Johnson, accused the ex-minister of “duplicity” and trying to destabilise the country to serve his “own personal ambition”.

She said: “On afternoon of 23rd July 2020 when I was health minister you telephoned me to tell me that we had to handle the pandemic following the example set by the East/China. 

“That people testing + should be removed from their homes and placed into isolation hotels for two weeks.

“You said yr wife’s family had experience of this during SARS. I said that British people would never tolerate being removed from their homes and loved ones at which point you demanded I show you the evidence for that. Your handling of the pandemic would have been a disaster.

“Your pandemic preparation during six years as health secretary was found wanting and inadequate.Your duplicity right now in destabilising the party and country to serve your own personal ambition, more so.

“You told others that PM and Gov would swiftly collapse on back of Brexit and you would swoop in. You told me as much in Victoria St after GE. If you had been leader you’d have handed the keys of No10 to Corbyn. You’ve been wrong about almost everything, you are wrong again now.”

Labour's Wes Streeting called it "a revealing admission and damning indictment of the Conservatives’ pandemic preparedness."

"They’re not fit to govern,” he added.

Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said he felt "sad and heartbroken that colleagues are currently having to attack each other."

He said the party was "performing a circular firing squad."

Mr Hunt was trounced in the Tory leadership in 2019, losing to Mr Johnson by 92,153 votes to 46,656. 

If Mr Johnson fails to win the support of at least 180 MPs tonight then there will be a leadership contest. 

As well as Mr Hunt, other names touted as potential replacements include Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Home Secretary Priti Patel, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Trade minister Penny Mordaunt and Mr Zahawi.

There's also speculation about senior backbenchers Tom Tugendhat.