THERESA May's time in Number 10 could be coming to an end after Tory MPs triggered a vote of no confidence.
Graham Brady, the chair of the backbench 1922 committee, confirmed that at least 48 MPs had written to him expressing doubts in the Prime Minister.
Tory MPs will vote between 6pm and 8pm tonight, with the result known before 10pm.
May needs the support of at least 158 MPs to win, and if she does, under party rules, there can be no other official Tory challenge to her time in office for the next year.
If she loses then the Tories will need to find a new leader, and it’s believed the contest could start as soon as next week.
More than 20 Tory backbenchers have confirmed publicly that they have submitted letters calling for May to step down, including Jacob Rees-Mogg, the influential chair of the European Research Group, the former Brexit minister Steve Baker and fellow leavers Nadine Dorries and Andrew Bridgen.
Former Northern Ireland minister Owen Paterson was one of the last to hand a letter in.
In his letter, published in today’s Telegraph, he tells Brady that mistakes made by May over Brexit had “eroded trust in the government, to the point where I and many others can no longer take the Prime Minister at her word".
As news of the contest broke, ministers, including Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove rallied round the Prime Minister.
David Gauke told the BBC’s Today programme, that May could stay on even if she won with a majority of just one.
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