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The Conservatives were wrong to oust Boris Johnson, former chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has admitted.
The ex-Cabinet minister said he wished "spooked" Tories had held their nerve and stuck with Mr Johnson.
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Mr Johnson, who led the party to a landslide victory at the last general election, was forced out of No 10 two years ago following a mass revolt by ministers sparked by a series of scandals.
Mr Zahawi said: “I wish we had held our nerve. Many colleagues got spooked.
"If colleagues had stepped back and just realised Twitter was not the country, we’d have probably made a very different decision.”
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Mr Zahawi was made chancellor in July 2022 in the wake of Rishi Sunak's resignation but publicly called for Mr Johnson to go two days later.
The Stratford-on-Avon MP revealed that he told the then-PM that “the herd was stampeding” and unless he was prepared to quit on his own terms “they are going to drag your carcass out of this place”.
On whether the Conservative Party would be in a better place if Mr Johnson had survived, the former Cabinet minister told the Sunday Times: "I don’t know that. I wish we had held our nerve, yes.
"I genuinely felt that the combination of activists against Boris and our opponents were in many ways enjoying the parliamentary party getting so spooked.
"I think if people had just taken a breath, stepped back and audited the achievements.
“If you go back … how many prime ministers have had to deal with Brexit, a global pandemic and then obviously economic recovery beyond that: to cap it all, war on our continent, where he led the world.
"The great lady [Thatcher] has been with me on this journey throughout this career in this place.
"Other than her, I cannot think of a more consequential prime minister of his generation.”
His comments have been echoed by a string of other Tory MPs who spoke out in support of the former prime minister.
It comes as the Conservatives have plummeted in the polls following Mr Johnson's exit from Downing Street.
The ex-premier also quit as Uxbridge and South Ruislip's MP last year in the wake of a "witch hunt" probe into the partygate row.
But there is ongoing speculation that he could make a sensational political comeback in the future.
The 59-year-old vowed to loyal Daily Express readers "I'll be back" after leaving Parliament.
