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LequteMan
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David Cameron yesterday fired Tory MP Jesse Norman, one of his top policy advisers for failing to vote for the government in last week's vote on military intervention in Syria.
It is the first high profile sacking in the wake of the humiliating defeat, which the government lost by just 13 votes - but more are expected.
In an extraordinary assault on Mr Cameron's authority, 39 coalition MPs joined Labour in voting against a watered-down Government motion supporting the ‘principle’ of military action.
But a total of 31 - including Mr Norman - did not vote at all.
Mr Cameron expressed 'regret' at the Commons defeat as he began the process of punishing Tories who defied him.
In all 10 members of the government failed to vote at the end of Thursday's eight0hour debate.
It included two ministers -Justine Greening and Mark Simmond - whowere chatting in a room near the Commons and claimed not to have heard the division bell to tell them the crunch vote was under way.