Boris Johnson is to face a vote on his leadership of the Conservative Party just hours after it was announced the threshold for triggering the ballot had been passed.
Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, confirmed in a statement on Monday morning that at least 54 Tory rebels had submitted letters of no-confidence in the PM.
He announced the vote, which will take place in secret, would happen between 6pm and 8pm on Monday and ballots would be counted immediately afterwards.
Sir Graham said he had informed Mr Johnson on Sunday night that the threshold had been reached.
“We agreed the timetable for the confidence vote to take place and he shared my view – which is also in line with the rules that we have in place – that that vote should happen as soon as could reasonably take place and that would be today,” he told reporters outside parliament.
It is not yet known at what time the result of the vote will be announced.
Letters of no-confidence in the PM have been trickling in to Sir Graham over the past few weeks.
The prime minister has been facing intense anger over the Partygate scandal and was booed at the Queen’s platinum jubilee service.
Sir Graham refused to confirm how many letters had been received or when the threshold had been passed but said “it is slightly complicated because some colleagues had asked specifically that it should not be until the end of the jubilee celebrations”.
A No 10 spokesperson said about the vote: “Tonight is a chance to end months of speculation and allow the government to draw a line and move on, delivering on the people’s priorities.
“The PM welcomes the opportunity to make his case to MPs and will remind them that when they’re united and focused on the issues that matter to voters there is no more formidable political force”.
