Tory activists tell Theresa May she will face unprecedented bid to oust her over Brexit
2 min read
Grassroots Conservatives have told Theresa May she will face an unprecedented meeting demanding her resignation over Brexit.
According to The Sun, The embattled Prime Minister was informed on Monday that an extraordinary general meeting of the party's 800-strong National Conservative Convention will now take place within weeks after angry volunteers signed a petition urging her to quit.
It is the first time in the party's 185-year history that a Tory leader has faced such action from grassroots members.
Under Conservative party rules, the NCC - which represents Tory volunteers - must call an extraordinary meeting if 65 constituency chairmen put their name to a petition.
Andrew Sharpe, who heads up the NCC, met the Prime Minister at Number 10 on Monday to tell her that the meeting will now go ahead.
Although the NCC's verdict on her leadership will be symbolic, it is likely to heap further pressure on the Prime Minister to spell out her departure plans.
Dinah Glover, who chairs London East Conservatives and organised the petition, told The Sun: "I am extremely sad that we have had to organise this.
"Unfortunately, the Prime Minister is no longer the solution to the problem, but is actually the block to Brexit."
The petition says Mrs May is "no longer" the "right person to continue as Prime Minister to lead us forward in the negotiations" with the European Union.
It adds: "We therefore with great reluctance ask that she considers her position and resigns, to allow the Conservative Party to choose another leader, and the Country to move forward and negotiate our exit from the EU."
The Prime Minister was also invited to address the meeting, which must take place within 28 days of the threshold being reached and so now looks set to take place in June.
Mrs May - who cannot be ousted by her MPs until December after seeing off a leadership challenge before Christmas - has previously promised Conservative MPs that she will step down before the next phase of Brexit talks.
A Downing Street source told The Sun: "The PM regularly sees party members and senior volunteers – especially in the run up to local elections, as you’d expect."
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