Theresa May under fresh pressure to resign amid mounting Tory grassroots rebellion

Theresa May will return to Westminster facing fresh pressure over her position as top Tories warn she must resign or face further attempts to oust her.

The influential 1922 committee of Tory MPs is reportedly meeting tomorrow to discuss tearing up the party rulebook in a move that could force the Prime Minister out, despite her winning a vote of no confidence last December by 200 votes to 117.

Sir Graham Brady, who chairs the committee, is also set to tell May that she does not have the support of 70 per cent of her MPs, according to the Sunday Times.

Over the weekend more than 70 local Tory associations called for May to resign over her handling of the Brexit negotiations.

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Before the Easter recess the Prime Minister was forced to seek a further extension to Article 50 – the mechanism that allows the UK to leave the EU – until 31 October after MPs voted down her withdrawal agreement for the third time.

Dinah Glover, who organised the petition calling for May to resign, told ITV yesterday: “She does need to go now and we need to reset the negotiations.”

Under current party rules, MPs cannot table another no confidence motion in the Prime Minister until December this year. However, the National Conservative Convention, which represents 800 of the party's highest-ranking officers, will now call an extraordinary general meeting to discuss May's premiership.

The petition reads: "We no longer feel that Mrs May is the right person to continue as prime minister to lead us forward in the [Brexit] negotiations.

"We therefore, with great reluctance, ask that she considers her position and resigns, to allow the Conservative Party to choose another leader, and the country to move forward and negotiate our exit from the EU."

The renewed pressure on May comes after a week in which Nigel Farage’s new Brexit party dominated the polls ahead of next month's contentious European elections.

Read more: Remain would win a second Brexit referendum, poll finds

Last week a YouGov poll put the former Ukip leader’s new party on 27 per cent of the vote, five points ahead of Labour and way ahead of the Tories, who amassed just 15 per cent of the vote.

A different survey of 1,132 Tory members for the Conservative Home website also found that six in 10 would vote for Farage in the European elections on 23 May.