Brexiteer Nadine Dorries blames scared Tory MEN for failed coup against Theresa May – but claims they only need two more letters

MALE Brexiteers are responsible for the failed coup against Theresa May, an MP claimed today.

Nadine Dorries insisted that "all the women" in the group trying to oust the PM have put their letters of no confidence in her to the Tory backbench chairman, Sir Graham Brady.

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And "maybe" it was a problem with the males on the team who were holding back, she speculated.

Ms Dorries, who put in her own letter weeks ago, told the BBC today:  "It's certainly not all mouth and no trousers from me.

"I can tell you this - it certainly isn't for all the women in the ERG - all the women have put their letters in."

She speculated that there were around 46 letters of no confidence in, two shy of the number needed to force a vote in Mrs May's leadership, and added: "I know of key people holding their letters back."

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This was because they were trying to use the threat of a vote to try and win concessions, and change the deal with the EU, she said.

MPs are now waiting for Mrs May to lose a crunch vote in Parliament over her Brexit deal - and THEN try and oust her, it was claimed today.

But Ms Dorries said that risked a no confidence in the Government vote, which could topple them altogether.

She urged her colleagues to act now, adding: "I think leaving Theresa May in place, if she refuses to compromises on this deal, risks a general election and risks bringing Corbyn in."

But today Jacob Rees-Mogg was forced to admit that the whole coup against the PM had taken a Dad's Army turn.

He said that getting the total of 48 was "showing to be quite difficult".

But he insisted that when it came to the letter total "patience is a virtue", and that May's reckoning would come next month.

And he stressed: "Do 47 want to come with me or not? I may find that they don't or they don't do it today but when we get the meaningful vote."

Mr Rees-Mogg also argued that rebels had to move now - otherwise Mrs May might lead the Tories towards another catastrophic defeat.

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Deep divisions in the Brexiteer camp have harmed the coup - with anger that major figures including Priti Patel, Iain Duncan Smith and Sir Bernard Jenkin had not publicly backed the plot, even though they have trashed Mrs May's deal already.

The Sun revealed a bitter new row erupted as some accused others of trying to oust Mrs May because they want peerages.

Senior Eurosceptics had warned that yesterday was the "moment of truth" for the PM as they urged more MPs to hand in their letters.

Only 25 have gone public with them so far amid fears that toppling Mrs May could collapse the entire Government and let Jeremy Corbyn into power.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned overnight that it would risk the "most appalling chaos" and could even stop us from "getting through to the other side of Brexit".

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