In the last few moments it has been confirmed that a leadership contest against Theresa May has been triggered. The number of letters of no confidence in the Prime Minister needed to lead to a vote – 48 – is believed to have been met last night. Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 committee, told Tory MPs in a message this morning that events overnight ‘have moved very quickly’ and that the threshold had now been reached.
A vote is expected to take place tonight between 6pm and 8pm. It is thought that the votes will be counted immediately, meaning that if she loses, Theresa May could be gone as early as tonight.
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