Boris Johnson’s suggestion that Margaret Thatcher was a green pioneer by shutting the mines could be “massively damaging” to his Red Wall ambitions, Tory MPs have warned.

       The Prime Minister yesterday paid tribute to his predecessor for giving the country “an early start” on tackling climate change because she “closed so many coal mines across the country”.

       He chuckled as he made the remark to journalists during a virtual press conference held during a visit to an offshore wind farm in Moray, adding: "I thought that would get you going."

       The comments have sparked fury among Conservative backbenchers, conscious they could undermine recent success in the Red Wall.

       One former minister said the comments “show the Prime Minister doesn’t share the values of Northern voters” and that he had “spat on” a key part of the culture of former mining communities.

       He added: “When he was at Oxford in the 1980s, it was all jolly japes and police officers going and giving those nasty miners what for. Boris had been regarded by many voters in the North as one of them -they thought he understood them - but the mask has slipped.”

       The MP noted that “the whole reason” for levelling up was to compensate for “the destruction of northern communities”.

       He added: “One could potentially look back in a few years on this as his Ratner moment.”

       His reference to ill-judged comments by Gerald Ratner was echoed by another senior backbencher, who said his “crass” comments could be Mr Johnson’s “prawn sandwich”.

       Mr Ratner famously said his eponymous chain’s jewellery was “cheaper than an M&S prawn sandwich but probably wouldn’t last as long”.

       Another senior Tory said Mr Johnson was reopening “old wounds which perhaps the last General Election showed had healed to some extent”.

       One of the 2019 intake of Red Wall Tories admitted the comments were “unfortunate” and would “cause difficulties” among his constituents, adding:“They are probably not the best ones to have made.”

       The Prime Minister's remarks have also been seized upon by political opponents, with Lisa Nandy, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, saying they were “shameful”. The SNP said it was “unbelievably crass” and “completely out of touch with Scotland.”

       Patrick O’Flynn, a pro-Brexit former Ukip MEP, said it was “by far the biggest gaffe of Boris Johnson's political career”

       He added: “Absolutely taking the piss out of communities that were torn apart. I'm sickened by it.”

       This afternoon, the Prime Minister's official spokesman said Mr Johnson recognised the "huge impact and pain" caused by the closure of coal mines.