At lunchtime there was a crisis meeting in Downing Street between the Prime Minister and the chairman of the 1922 Conservative Committee, Sir Graham Brady.
In light of the meeting, it was announced that Downing Street would make a statement at 1.30pm.
The meeting between the Prime Minister and Mr Brady, the leader of the Conservative Party, was apparently arranged by Downing Street to, in the words of Number 10, “take the temperature” of the party.
As talks continue, they have been joined by Deputy Prime Minister Theresa Coffey and Conservative Party leader Sir Jake Berry.
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This union, during the meeting, seems essential.
There has been much speculation that a significant number of MPs have written to Mr Brady asking him to challenge Liz Truss’s leadership.
If this number of letters exceeds a certain number (potentially 100-150), it is believed that Sir Graham and the 1922 Executive will be prepared to change the party rules to allow a leadership challenge.
Sir Jake’s sudden appearance to join the current meeting could be significant, not least given that any change to the rules relating to the ability to challenge Liz Truss requires the approval of the Conservative Party board.
The number of Tory MPs publicly calling for Liz Truss to step down has risen from six to 15 in the past 24 hours, with the number doing so privately thought likely to be much higher.
Downing Street Statement Due at 1.30pm following crisis talks
