Trousergate: Nicky Morgan's rift with the PM, explained

The run-in between Conservative MP Nicky Morgan and the Prime Minister shows no signs of healing, with Morgan announcing today that she will no longer appear on the next episode of the satirical panel show Have I Got News For You.

The MP for Loughborough appears to have been left out in the cold by Downing Street after criticising May for posing for photos in a pair of £995 trousers.

What did Morgan say?

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After May was photographed in a pair of Amanda Wakeley leather trousers, priced at £995, Morgan mused: "My barometer is always, 'How am I going to explain this in Loughborough market?'"

For good measure, she added: "I don't think I've ever spent that much on anything apart from my wedding dress."

How did May respond?

The Prime Minister has not directly addressed the rift, but the Mail on Sunday obtained evidence of a text row between Morgan and May's adviser, Fiona Hill.

Morgan and fellow pro-Remain Tory MP Alistair Burt had met Hill at No 10 to talk about Brexit and were due to put their case to May this week. But after Morgan's tweet about May's trousers, Hill texted Burt saying: "Don't bring that woman to No 10 again."

Morgan, the former education secretary, got wind of the missive, and messaged Hill: "No man brings me to any meeting. Your team invites me. If you don't want my views in future meetings you need to tell them."

Despite politicos' "near-pathological fixation with tales of political advisers", says the Daily Telegraph's James Kirkup, journalists should not lose sight of the fact that "what [Hill] does, she does in Theresa May's name, with Theresa May's authority".

The Prime Minister's message to Morgan is clear: she is persona non grata at Number 10.

Other Conservative MPs have fallen into line behind the PM. Nadine Dorries said Morgan's comments were "sexist", as she had never voiced a similar criticism of David Cameron's tailored suits.

In a speech on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson joked that May – who went on a walking holiday in the Alps this summer – "wears lederhosen".

What's the latest?

Morgan has pulled out of a scheduled appearance on Friday's episode of Have I Got News For You, depriving team captains Ian Hislop and Paul Merton of the chance to deploy their best Trouser-gate witticisms.

An agent for the production company Hat Trick told the Press Association she would not be taking part due to "unforeseen circumstances", but many political commentators believe that the row with Downing Street is to blame.