Rees-Mogg: topple May now or she will lead Tories into election

Brexiter claims very few Tories want Theresa May to lead the party into 2022

Jacob Rees-Mogg denied that his attempt to remove Theresa May had ended in humiliation as he called on Conservative MPs to seize their chance to topple the prime minister now or face the prospect of her leading the party into the next election.

A total of 48 MPs must write to Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the backbenchers' 1922 Committee in order to trigger a full confidence vote - 15% of the parliamentary party. But six days after May set out her EU withdrawal agreement only 26 MPs have publicly said that they have submitted a letter, leading rebels to privately concede that the move against May is likely to lie dormant until she loses a vote on the deal in parliament.