LONDON – A Conservative MP has been suspended after she referred to the prospect of UK leaving the EU without a deal as a “real n*****r in the woodpile.”

Anne Marie Morris, Tory MP for Newton Abbot in Devon since 2010, made the remark while talking on a panel of eurosceptic MPs about how Brexit could impact Britain’s financial services.

When the comment became public on Monday afternoon it prompted a huge political row, and ended in Theresa May telling party whips to suspend her.

It followed calls by Labour and Lib Dem MPs for action to be taken against Morris, or for her to resign of her own volition.

In the recording, published by HuffPost UK, Morris said: "Now I'm sure there will be many people who'll challenge that, but my response and my request is look at the detail, it isn't all doom and gloom.

"Now we get to the real n****r in the woodpile which is in two years what happens if there is no deal?"

Listen to the recording of Morris here:

She made the remarks at an event hosted by the Politeia think tank at the East India Club, an all-male private members' club in Mayfair.

During the speech fellow panellists Conservative MPs John Redwood and Bill Cash were next to her, but reportedly did not react when Morris made the remark.

As the furore intensified, Morris apologised for any offence cause by her choice of words, which she called "unintentional."

Shortly afterwards, Theresa May announced that she had suspended the whip from Morris. She said: "I was shocked to hear of these remarks, which are completely unacceptable. I immediately asked the Chief Whip to suspend the party whip."

Chorus of outrage

Jess Phillips, a vocal Labour MP, described the comments as "outrageous" in a tweet Monday afternoon and said she should both lose then whip and resign as an MP.

Lucy Powell, another Labour MP, said "serious consequences" should follow.

Andrew Gwynne MP, a member of Labour's shadow cabinet, Theresa May should consider withdrawing the whip from Morris, meaning she would no longer be a Conservative MP.

He said: "Theresa May once spoke about changing the Tories' 'Nasty Party' tag. If she's serious about that, she will admit it's not enough for the Tories to 'investigate' and will apologies and act immediately. If that means withdrawing the whip, that's what they should do."

Gwynne echoed comments by Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, who said earlier: "This disgusting comment belongs in the era of the Jim Crow laws and has no place in our Parliament."

"The Conservative party should withdraw the whip from Anne Marie Morris and they should do it today. Every hour they leave her in place, is a stain on them and the so-called 'compassionate conservatism' they supposedly espouse."

Backbench Conservative MPs also criticised Morris, though stopped short of calling for specific punishments.

MP Heidi Allen tweeted that an apology from Morris is "not good enough", while Helen Grant, who is black, said she was "so ashamed" of her colleague's words.

Morris distanced herself from the comment after it became public. An in interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, Morris said: "The comment was totally unintentional. I apologise unreservedly for any offence caused."

The origins of the phrase are not known for sure but it is thought to date back to 19th century USA at the height of the slave trade.