Brexit backlash: how Theresa May could be ousted as PM
- A challenge is triggered if 15 per cent of the Conservative members of parliament write letters demanding a confidence vote
- The list of possible replacements is long, but there is no clear front runner yet
UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s position as leader of the Conservative Party – and consequently her premiership – is under threat after Brexit minister Dominic Raab and pensions minister Esther McVey resigned in protest at her proposed exit deal with the European Union. Their departure, and the resignations of two junior ministers, shakes May’s divided government.
Here is an explanation of how May could face a leadership challenge under Conservative Party rules:
What needs to happen for there to be a leadership contest?
A challenge is triggered if 15 per cent of the Conservative members of parliament (MPs) write letters demanding a confidence vote to the chairman of the party’s “1922 Committee”, which represents those lawmakers who have no government jobs.
The Conservatives have 315 MPs, so 48 would need to write such letters for a vote to be called.
Could this happen to May?
Some Eurosceptic MPs have publicly said they have submitted such letters in protest at her Brexit negotiating strategy. The number voicing concern rose after the publication of a draft withdrawal agreement on Wednesday and Raab’s resignation on Thursday.
However, the 1922 Committee’s chairman, Graham Brady, is the only person who knows how many have actually submitted letters, including those who have written to him confidentially.