Mrs May is reportedly facing a rebellion within her own party amid ongoing anger over her proposals on Brexit – as Britain awaits for the PM to take to the lectern with a statement outside Number 10.
Senior MPs from the Brexit-supporting European Research Group – chaired by Jacob Rees-Mogg MP – are reportedly readying to trigger a vote of no confidence against the PM.
BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Brexiteers were so angry about May's draft deal to leave the European Union that they were submitting letters to the head of a committee of Conservative lawmakers responsible for handling any leadership challenge.
"Senior Tory (Conservative) tells me Brexiteer anger so high that seems likely there will be a call for no-confidence vote tomorrow – letters going in," she said on Twitter.
Kuenssberg added: "Understand there has not yet been an official ERG decision to get group to push button on letters going in, but levels of anger so high that some are doing it anyway – this might be the start of crashing into a leadership contest by accident."
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The Prime Minister is currently locked in a marathon session of Cabinet as she looks to convince ministers to back her deal with the EU.
There was confusion in Westminster as Government minister Nick Hurd wrongly told MPs that Mrs May had cancelled plans for a statement to the press on the outcome of the crunch meeting.
Downing Street was forced to issue a statement that the PM's appearance before the TV cameras would go ahead.
Mrs May is expected to deliver a brief statement without a lectern in front of the famous black door to Number 10.
(Pic: REUTERS)
Brexit-backing Tory MP Nadine Dorries, who has called for Mrs May's removal as leader, tweeted: "Catastrophe and calamity. What an utter, total mess."
Mr Hurd's misstatement came at about 5.30pm, after ministers had been locked in discussion around the Cabinet table for three and a half hours with little sign of the meeting drawing to an end.
Opposition leaders including Jeremy Corbyn had written to Mrs May to say it would be "entirely inappropriate" for her to brief the press before making a statement to MPs.
Reports suggested that many ministers were speaking at length about the 500-page document which they first saw on Tuesday evening, sparking speculation that Mrs May was having to address doubts among her top team.
The draft document sparked waves of condemnation from Brexit-backing Tory backbenchers, who fear it will commit the UK to remaining indefinitely within a customs union with the EU and unable to forge its own trade deals elsewhere
The level of Brexiteer discontent has raised expectations that further letters demanding a vote of no confidence in Mrs May will be sent to the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee – a total of 48 letters would trigger a showdown.
Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, who has previously held back from calling for Mrs May's removal, said on Tuesday that "there comes a point at which the policy and the individual become so intimately connected that it will be very hard to carry on supporting the person who is promoting this policy".
Tensions were heightened by reports that senior Brussels negotiator Sabine Weyand had told ambassadors the deal will mean the UK aligns its rules with Europe, while the EU "will retain all the controls".
Ms Weyand – deputy to chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier – cast doubt on the veracity of a leaked note containing her supposed comments by "liking" a series of tweets which said it was "not an accurate reflection of the EU's position".
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