Jacob Rees-Mogg has said Conservative MPs must seize their chance to topple Theresa May or face the prospect of her leading the party into the next election, though he denied Eurosceptics had been humiliated by their failure so far to trigger a leadership vote.
Rees-Mogg, the backbench Brexiter who chairs the European Research Group of Eurosceptic MPs, said there were very few of his colleagues who wanted the prime minister to continue to lead the party into 2022.
Asked whether it might prove difficult to secure the 158 votes needed to oust the prime minister in a confidence vote, he said: “I would wait and see about that.”
“Basically, if there is a vote of confidence it is not just for a year. Getting the 48 letters has shown to be quite difficult, so the idea that in a year you just repeat the process and then she would go at that point I don’t think that is realistic.
“I think it is now or the prime minister will lead the Conservatives into the next election. You find MPs privately who will say to you they think that is a really good idea in any number and I would be quite surprised.”
The number of letters publicly submitted to Brady declaring no confidence in May reached 26 on Monday, well short of the tally needed, though Eurosceptic MPs insisted more had been submitted privately.
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.
“Patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace,” Rees-Mogg said. “We will see what letters come in due time. 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. That’s a decision for them.”
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