May’s last day in power before she meets her ‘final executioner’

Theresa May is scrambling to salvage something from the wreckage of her premiership today after a Cabinet mutiny effectively killed off her Brexit plans.

The Prime Minister is holed up in Downing Street with her closest aides as the sun sets on her time in power – with a resignation announcement seen as inevitable after she meets Tory 1922 chief Graham Brady tomorrow.

She is expected to meet Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary Sajid Javid later as she faces pressure to scrap her promise of a referendum vote from the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. 

The move sparked a furious response from Tories – with Commons leader Andrea Leadsom dramatically quitting last night and putting the last nail in Mrs May’s coffin.    

One of the PM’s last political acts is set to be overseeing a catastrophic performance in European elections, which are taking place across the UK today.

In her letter to the Prime Minister last night (left), Andrea Leadsom (right) said a second referendum would be ‘dangerously divisive for the country’ and she could not support the concession

Amid the Brexit chaos and infighting, support for the Conservatives has slumped to just 7 per cent in some polls – with fear that all the party’s MEPs could be wiped out.   

Meanwhile, Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party has surged and is now on track to top the poll – while the Lib Dems have also overtaken Labour. 

The elections today should put a temporary hold on the frenzied leadership jostling to succeed Mrs May. However, the campaigns by contenders including Boris Johnson, Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt and others are already in full swing behind the scenes.

There are expected to be as many as 10 candidates nominated to start with – who will be whittled down to a final two in a series of votes by MPs. The Tory membership will then choose between the last two.  

The drama was brought to a head on Tuesday when Mrs May delivered a speech spelling out a series of concessions designed to get her Withdrawal Agreement Bill – known as WAB – past its first Commons hurdle.

The offer of votes on holding a second referendum and joining a temporary customs union with the EU caused uproar among Conservative MPs. And Cabinet anger erupted amid claims that Mrs May had gone further in her speech than had been agreed in a fraught two-hour meeting. 

At one stage yesterday, some aides believed Mrs May was on the verge of quitting on the spot – and even started preparations for a resignation statement.

But chief whip Julian Smith later told the 1922 committee of backbench MPs that Mrs May intended to campaign in today’s elections and would instead meet the group’s chairman Sir Graham Brady tomorrow.

At that point they are expected to set the timetable for a Tory leadership election – although she will remain as PM until a replacement is chosen.  

Mrs May refused to see rebel ministers yesterday afternoon, leading to accusations that she was bunkered down in No 10.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said: ‘The sofa is up against the door, she’s not leaving.’ 

However sources said meetings with senior ministers were postponed because Mrs May was having her regular audience with the Queen, who she was expected to brief on her intentions. 

Whitehall insiders said the legislation that the Prime Minister announced on Tuesday might never now see the light of day.

She is said to have agreed to meet Sir Graham tomorrow to discuss arrangements for the election of a new Conservative Party leader.

An ally said: ‘The chances of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill coming forward now are very slender – there is too much opposition in Cabinet. 

‘That was her last move – she’s made her last move. I think she accepts that.’ 

Another said: ‘We completely understand what has happened over the course of the last 24 hours. 

‘She wants to be able to say that in her own words in short order. You will see that clearly when the elections are done.’