At least 48 Conservative MPs have submitted letters declaring they have no confidence in UK Prime Minister Theresa May, triggering a parliamentary vote of no confidence in May.
Sir Graham Brady, chair of the influential 1922 committee, confirmed this morning that he had received at least 48 letters from MPs calling for a vote of no confidence in May. According to the Conservative party’s constitution, if at least 15 per cent of sitting Conservative MPs call for a vote of no confidence in the party leader, the vote is triggered. If May wins the vote – for which she will need the support of at least 158 of the party’s 330 MPs – she cannot be challenged again for another 12 months; if she loses the vote, a leadership election must be held in which May cannot stand.
The vote will be held this evening between 6PM and 8PM. Multiple members of May’s cabinet and other Conservative MPs have pledged their support for the prime minister although, as the vote of no confidence in May will be a secret ballot, they will still be free to vote as they choose without repercussion.
In a statement this morning, the prime minister said: “I will contest [the vote of no confidence in May] with everything I have got.” She told reporters her Brexit deal would be the best choice for the country, noting that time spent over a leadership contest in the Conservative party at this late stage would risk delaying or even fully stopping the Brexit process. She added: “Weeks spent tearing ourselves apart will only create more division.”
If the vote of no confidence in May is passed tonight, Justice Secretary David Gauke said, Article 50 would “clearly” need to be extended in order to give the Conservatives time to elect a new leader – by extension a new prime minister – and continue with the process of implementing Brexit. The process of choosing a new leader could easily take two weeks or more.
