Tory veteran Lord Heseltine has been fired from his government advisory roles after backing the demand for a parliamentary vote on the Brexit deal. 

Heseltine, whose attempt to challenge Margaret Thatcher for Tory leadership triggered her downfall, defied the Conservative government’s wishes in the House of Lords.

After receiving the call telling him he was fired, Heseltine said he accepted the decision but “sometimes there are issues which transcend party politics”. He has never met Theresa May. 

Heseltine, nicknamed “Tarzan” for his former mane of blonde hair, campaigned for the UK to remain the EU.

In 2014, he told The New Statesman he was against referenda on principle, and that he believed in “Britain’s self-interest being pursued through a European agenda”. 

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On Tuesday, the House of Lords voted by a majority of 98 to support a Labour amendment, which had cross-party support, demanding Parliament gets a veto over the final Brexit deal.