The "scars" from Tory infighting over the European Union referendum will last well beyond this month’s vote, a former Tory Conservative cabinet minister has warned.
David Cameron and Boris Johnson have always insisted that the Tories would come together after the June 23 vote – despite the increasingly personal attacks from both sides.
But today Liam Fox, who is campaigning for a leave vote, suggested that the accusations that had been flung so far in the campaign would make that almost impossible.
He added that some of the attacks made during the contest had been "unacceptable" and said it was "very unfortunate" that there had been attempts to question the "integrity" of politicians in rival camps.
His comments came after Energy Secretary Amber Rudd used a live television debate to deliver a series of scathing comments about Leave campaigner Boris Johnson.
Ms Rudd said last week that Mr Johnson was only interested in furthering his leadership ambitions, adding that "he is the life and soul of the party but he is not the man you want driving you home at the end of the evening".
Dr Fox told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "I think it's fair enough in a referendum that we will probe one another's views. We can say 'You don't understand the argument', we can say 'You've got your facts wrong'.
"What I think is unacceptable is for people to impugn the motives or the integrity or the honesty of their colleagues."
He added: "I think that has happened and I think it's very unfortunate because these scars last well beyond the referendum date itself."
Dr Fox said the ability of the Conservative Party to pull together after the referendum would be determined by "how well we treat one another" during the campaign.
"My advice to everybody is take a deep breath, stick to the issues, don't make personal attacks," the former defence secretary said.
"It's not necessary and in any case it turns the voters off - they want to hear about the substance."
The EU referendum debate has so far been characterised by bias, distortion and exaggeration. So until 23 June we we’re running a series of question and answer features that explain the most important issues in a detailed, dispassionate way to help inform your decision.
What is Brexit and why are we having an EU referendum?
Will we gain or lose rights by leaving the European Union?
What will happen to immigration if there's Brexit?
Will Brexit make the UK more or less safe?
Will the UK benefit from being released from EU laws?
Will leaving the EU save taxpayers money and mean more money for the NHS?
What will Brexit do to UK trade?
How Brexit will affect British tourism
What will Brexit mean for British tourists booking holidays in the EU?
Will Brexit help or damage the environment?
