The 1922 Committee has demanded Mrs May set out a timetable for her departure or face a no-confidence vote. Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the influential group of Tory backbenchers, grilled the Conservative leader to leave with or without a Brexit withdrawal deal in place. But Theresa May allies have hit out at the committee for being “irresponsible”.
One senior Tory MP who wants Mrs May to stay told The Sun: “If the executive goes ahead with a rule change now, it will be the height of irresponsibility at this time of national crisis as well as destabilise the leadership forever more.
“So we will call a confidence vote in them, which all colleagues are within their full rights to do.”
Mrs May is expected to refuse Sir Graham’s timetable request, according to The Sun.
One Brexiteer on the 1922 Committee said Mrs May is likely to escape challenges to her leadership due to her bringing the bill to Parliament.
READ MORE: Theresa May pleads to senior Tories to back Brexit deal
The executive member told The Sun: “I will vote for a rule change, but I’m not sure we will have the numbers now.
“Some colleagues will have been persuaded by this (Brexit deal) to give her more time.”
Mrs May faced another challenge to resign Eurosceptic Tory MP Peter Bone in PMQs on Wednesday.
Mr Bone told her local activists in his constituency, Wellingborough, have lost confidence in her leadership.
He said: “This Saturday some 40 of us went out campaigning for the European elections but unfortunately I have a letter from those Conservatives addressed to the Prime Minister.
“They say that her deal is worse than staying in the European Union. That they want us to go come out now on a no deal basis.
“More importantly they have lost confidence in the Prime Minister and wish her to resign before the European elections.”
But Mrs May hit back and said: “If everybody in the House of Commons had voted along with the Government and the majority of Conservative members of parliament we would already have left the European Union”.
