Tory chiefs have told Theresa May she can’t be ousted — but she must lay out a departure timetable
THERESA May narrowly saw off another Brexiteer coup to oust her last night - but was ordered by Tory chiefs to lay out a firm timetable for her departure.
After two days of deliberations, the backbench 1922 Committee’s executive decided not to change the party’s leadership contest rules.
Brexiteer leaders called on the body to scrap the 12-month grace period between confidence votes in the party’s boss, after a failed bid to topple her from No10 four months ago.
It emerged the putsch was defeated by nine votes to seven with two abstentions, including 1922 chair Sir Graham Brady.
But to pacify angry Brexiteers, Sir Graham also declared Tory MPs now wanted the PM to lay out “a clear roadmap forward” of when she would vacate No10.
He explained: “Following the Prime Minister’s decision a few weeks ago to set out a clear schedule for departure as leader in the event of the Withdrawal Agreement being passed, we would seek similar clarity from her in other circumstances”.
The demand is another humiliation for the PM, who had hoped to stay on until as long as Christmas.
But party grandees plan to make it clear to her that they expect her to go in the summer, or by the party’s annual conference in October at the latest.
Sir Graham said it would be “surprising” if Mrs May responded to his request by saying she wanted to stay on until December.
One angry Brexiteer on the 1922 executive blamed the coup’s failure on there being “too many Remainers” on the 18-strong panel alongside them.
Having a leadership election now would be a mini-referendum on a hard Brexit. It would be disastrous.
Richard Harrington, former business minister
But another executive member told The Sun that soundings across the Conservative parliamentary party, and there was not enough appetite for a coup at the moment.
The senior Tory MP said: “Colleagues have been consulted widely, and they’re just not ready for Boris.
“Getting rid of Theresa before Brexit is done means getting Boris, Boris would mean no deal, and no deal would mean a general election. And that would be the end of Brexit altogether.”
Sir Graham Brady told allies he opposed a rule change, as it would permanently destabilise any future party leader.
Other Tory Brexiteers were left angry by the 1922 bosses’ decision.
Arch-Eurosceptic Andrea Jenkyns fumed: “At least Margaret Thatcher knew when time was up. How much more damage is Theresa May going to do the party? She has her fingers in her ear and she’s not listening any more.”
The Brexiteer bid to oust Mrs May had turned into a fight between leaving the EU with or without a deal, former business minister Richard Harrington had earlier insisted.
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Mr Harrington said: “Having a leadership election now would be a mini-referendum on a hard Brexit. It would be disastrous”.
Another May loyalist, Digital Minister Margot James, said: “We need calmness in the face of fire. We don’t want to be changing the leader in the middle of all this.
“I still believe the public will have more confidence in our Prime Minister than most of the names you hear banded about.”
Rory: Give me top job
PRISONS Minister Rory Stewart last night declared he wants to replace Theresa May as leader.
The Remainer ex-diplomat told the Spectator: “We desperately need to rebuild ourselves internationally after Brexit.”
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