The fallout from a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister continued today with warnings from party activists in Kent that rebel MPs needed to put up or shut up, or risk civil war.

While ministers continued their efforts to say the ballot represented a decisive victory for Boris Johnson, local party chiefs proved less convinced.

Constituency party associations said the time had come for the government to stop navel gazing and that rebel MPs should either put up or shut up.

One of Kent’s long-standing MPs announced he had joined the rebels. Ashford MP Damian Green said he had reluctantly decided that he could no longer support the Prime Minister.

Local constituency association officials urged MPs to unite or risk losing the next general election.

Stephen James, the chairman of the Folkestone and Hythe Conservative Association said the rebels had their opportunity in the ballot and now should accept the result.

“What will happen if the Conservatives continue looking inwardly is that there will be civil war within the party and we cannot have that because a divided party does not win elections.

"Rebels like Sir Roger Gale need to give him the opportunity to get on with the job.

“Party activists just want to get the job in hand done; We have done enough navel gazing and introspection and we need to move forward.

"What we are saying is Westminster is looking inwardly; rather than outwardly and being the force for change that we need.”

He did not agree that the party was irretrievably divided but there was a danger the party could be if rebels who backed a no confidence vote continued their efforts to oust Mr Johnson.

“The ball is in their court; do they put up or shut up; do They start pushing in the right direction to achieve what we want to achieve?" he added.

"We have another two years in government where we can put in some real Conservative policies like cutting taxes, curbing immigration and tackling the cost of living crisis.

"There needs to be a real shift in direction towards traditional Conservative policies like lowering taxes and reducing the size of the state.”

“I really do hope that this vote of no confidence is a shot across the bows for Boris.

"We can all look at the statistics in different ways but at the end of the day he is the Prime Minister and the Conservative leader and needs to get on with the job.

"It all comes down to whether he is an election winner and he is. People have to move on and work as a team.”

The call for unity was echoed by the chairman of the Maidstone and Weald association. Andrea Thorpe said: “The party is totally divided and a divided party cannot win elections.

"I think he's on borrowed time, but in that borrowed time, he has got to make some monumental changes in order to regain the confidence of the electorate.”

Damian Green said that on balance he had decided not to support Mr Johnson because of the issue of his behaviour during lockdown.