Sunday 13 November 2016 1:22 pm

A Tory grassroots group is pushing Theresa May to call an early general election

Theresa May has been urged to seek an early general election to circumvent “awkward” Tory MPs by her party base.

While May has repeatedly committed to the current electoral timetable, speculation is rife the Prime Minister may seek to boost her majority before the planned election date of 2020, and now the chair of Conservative Grassroots has lent his support to the plan.

Speaking to Morning Wire, Ed Costelloe said: “There are a certain number of awkward people who are doing the wrong thing at the wrong time terms of what Theresa May has got to get done.”

Costelloe added that while MPs would be unlikely to block Brexit altogether, the sheer volume of legislation required for the process could see small numbers of MPs either hinder or steer the process.

“It's down stream where you have lots of detailed legislation to pass and where some damage could be done.

“It's going to be a tricky parliamentary period and very hard with such a tiny majority. But there is no doubt that if there was an election that would be substantially increased,” he said, arguing that the Conservatives could gain more than 100 extra seats.

May currently has a majority of just 14.

The date of general elections is set by the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, with the next vote scheduled for 2020.

This can be overruled if May either loses a vote of confidence in the House of Commons, or two-thirds of MPs agree to an early election.

It comes as the Sunday Telegraph reports former ministers are warning that they must be returned to top roles to avoid further rebellion.

May cut a number of senior staff from the top table when she was named Prime Minister, and most notably the former chancellor, George Osborne.

And now a number of those axed are reportedly warning they will be increasingly troublesome if they are not handed government jobs within 12 months.