Tory former minister Nick Boles revealed he had received a death threat for the first time since joining a Tory rebellion against a no deal Brexit.

He told the BBC that "sad cowards with nothing better to do" had issued the threat after he joined forces with Labour to inflict another humiliating defeat on the PM last night.

But he also said he was worried that somebody else working in politics “may end up falling victim to someone with a screw loose”.

Explaining the nature of the threat, he said: “Somebody went on to my MP website last night and left a message that said, “Your days are numbered, prepare to die”. 

"Obviously not leaving a name and number, though actually foolishly leaving their IP address, which I do believe – I’m not a techy – but I believe that those who are, might mean that they can trace it. 

"So obviously I will be reporting it to the Metropolitan Police."

He vowed not to be bowed by the attacks.

“It is clearly some sad loser sitting in his underpants on a sofa.  I don’t take it very seriously.  But it does just show that there’s a particularly ugly mood out there, and I think the police do need to act.”

Speaking to Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 5 Live Mr Boles said he feared that someone would actually carry out their threat because of the growing number of threats being made online. 

He said: “If these [online] threats become normal, then somebody, in order to make themselves stand out in their own sad, sick minds, will then feel that they have to act on the threat, because just making a threat will seem so everyday.

“So we do need to see more people being charged, more people being prosecuted and more people being jailed for making these threats, and for behaving in the way that those people did who shouted at Anna Soubry a couple of days ago.”

Mr Boles, who voted Remain in the referendum, has been pushing for the UK to have a similar relationship to Norway with the EU.

It’s latest iteration – called Norway plus – would mean leaving the EU, but staying in the single market and the customs union.

On Tuesday night the Lincolnshire MP became one of 20 Tories to vote for an amendment to block taxation powers unless no-deal is taken off the table.

They dealt a blow to the government after the amendment passed by 303 votes to 296.

Labour  former minister Yvette Cooper tabled an amendment to the Budget-enacting Finance (No. 3) Bill which attracted support from Tory rebels.

Her proposal aims to restrict the Government’s freedom to use the Bill to make tax changes linked to a no-deal Brexit without the "explicit consent" of Parliament.

In his speech Mr Boles said Theresa May had secured a deal that Tory MPs could support.

He said: "We do not have a bad deal; we may have a deal that you, individually, do not like, but nobody can claim that we do not have a deal that it is reasonable for Conservative members to support.

"It is therefore reasonable for us to say that, at this late stage, with the government having prepared as woefully as they have for no deal, we will on no account countenance a no-deal Brexit."

He concluded: "I will vote on any motion, on any amendment, on any piece of legislation, proposed by whomsoever in this House to ensure that we leave the European Union on 20 March with a deal or not at all."

But Downing Street has downplayed the significance of these limits.

Mr Boles is one of the latest in a long line of MPs to receive abuse because of their stance on Brexit. 

On Monday footage of Tory Remainer Anna Soubry being called a "Nazi" by far right protesters caused outrage throughout Westminster.

A clip which showed the MP for Broxtowe being followed and shouted at prompted a number of MPs to write to the Met Police Commissioner to ask officers to step in.

It followed a day of ‘yellow vest’ protesters following MPs and journalists around Westminster, some of whom yelled abuse.

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