Tory MPs hammer nails in coughing PM’s coffin
30 rebels plot to tell May to go by Christmas after conference disaster
THERESA May was fighting for her political life last night as Tory rebels prepared to go for the throat.
MPs are plotting to approach the Prime Minister directly in the next three days in an audacious bid to make her resign.
One of the scheming Tories said: “She needs to go now before she does yet more damage.”
Five former Cabinet ministers are among the 30 MPs preparing to badger May into quitting.
The rebels intend to demand she steps down before Christmas.
Former minister Ed Vaizey became the first Tory MP to publicly break ranks yesterday.
He said: “I think there will be quite a few people who will now be pretty firmly of the view that she should resign.”
Pressure on the PM has intensified since her party conference speech – which had been seen as a chance to rebuild her reputation – turned into a debacle on Wednesday.
A prankster handed her a fake P45, part of the Tory slogan fell on the floor – and she kept coughing.
One Tory MP said there was a 50 per cent chance that May would resign by today, adding: “It’s a disaster.”
A colleague compared the PM to a pet “waiting to be put down” – but to trigger a leadership contest, it would take 48 MPs to write to the backbench 1922 Committee expressing no confidence in her. Instead, the rebels are putting together a small delegation to confront the PM, who has been beset by fiascos including the snap election and Brexit talks. May’s Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, has been accused of trying to undermine the beleaguered PM over Britain’s exit from the EU.
Bookmakers Ladbrokes have now slashed the odds on him becoming the next Tory leader to 4/1, making him the new favourite ahead of David Davis.
Brexit Secretary Davis has said he plans to quit the Cabinet in 2019.