Nadine Dorries takes to Twitter to poke the pork pie plotters ... but she may have undermined Boris Johnson

MPs have reacted angrily after Nadine Dorries appeared to make fun of the “pork pie plotters”, as they accused her of “undermining the Prime Minister” in his attempts to win back the support of Tory rebels.

The Culture Secretary posted a photo of a pork pie on her Twitter feed along with the following caption:

Tory MPs who were involved in the “pork pie plot” against Boris Johnson earlier this month said the tweet was mocking them for their rebellion, and that it undermined his attempts to win them back in a series of meetings this week.

“It has lit a match on the whole situation,” one MP told The Telegraph.

“A lot of the new intake MPs have been calming down a bit this week and have had positive meetings with the boss.

“Nadine Dorries’ tweet today has stirred things up to an unbelievable extent.”

The MP said they had spoken to three Conservative rebels who were more likely to submit letters of no confidence in Mr Johnson to the 1922 Committee because they feel that Cabinet ministers are patronising backbenchers.

“The best thing Nadine Dorries could do now is to log off Twitter and not go back onto it,” they said.

“She needs to have a serious think about what she's putting out … something needs to be done.”

Ms Dorries has earned a reputation in Westminster as a no-nonsense tweeter – often using her account to attack critics.

Last week, she tweeted a photo of David Cameron in casual clothes that suggested he looked like an illegal ticket tout.

The latest row between her and the pork pie rebels follows a week of “shadow whipping” in the Commons by Mr Johnson’s allies, and a series of meetings between the Prime Minister and wavering rebels in his parliamentary office.

Many MPs believe the time of greatest danger for Mr Johnson has now passed, but some of his inner circle are concerned about the timing of the release of the Sue Gray inquiry, which could be published next week.