A Cabinet split has emerged over the partygate report into Boris Johnson, after a minister said a 90-day suspension was “distinctly uncomfortable”.

Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said he thought the report was right to conclude that Mr Johnson misled the House of Commons but should not have been punished so severely for it.

On Monday night MPs voted to approve a report by the Privileges Committee that declared Mr Johnson lied to MPs and should be suspended for 90 days.

“I agreed with the conclusions reached in terms of wrongdoing on the part of Boris Johnson, but I was distinctly uncomfortable with the harshness of the sanction,” Mr Stride said. 

“I think a sanction of 90 days -- to put that into context it’s nine times the threshold of ten days required in order for there potentially to be a recall petition for a sitting MP -- was just too far out there for me to vote for the motion. 

“I certainly wouldn’t have voted against, but in the end, I went for abstention.”

Six Cabinet ministers including Penny Mordaunt, the Commons leader, voted for the report, while seven backbenchers voted against it. All other MPs that voted backed its conclusions. 

Mr Stride added: “I respect colleagues in the Cabinet who came to a different decision to me, but I’ve explained why it is that I came to the conclusion that I did.”

In practice, the 90-day punishment will not apply because Mr Johnson has already resigned.