Theresa May escapes threat of early leadership challenge until December as 1922 Committee rejects changing rules to oust her by summer

Theresa May has escaped the threat of a challenge to her position as Conservative leader until at least December.

Senior MPs on the backbench 1922 Committee rejected calls for changes to the party's rules to allow a no-confidence vote in the Prime Minister in the coming weeks.

But the Committee is to ask Mrs May for "clarity" on how long she plans to remain PM if her EU Withdrawal Agreement fails.

Officers of the 1922 Committee executive met in Westminster for the second day running amid growing pressure for the Prime Minister to name the date of her departure.

They decided there should be no change to the rule which grants any leader a 12-month period of grace following a no-confidence vote during which they cannot be challenged again.

The chairman of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, said: "The decision was first of all that we determined there should not be a rule change to remove the 12-month period of grace during which a second confidence vote cannot be held.

"We further determined that we should remind colleagues that it is always available to them to write to me as chairman of the 1922 Committee raising concerns or setting out their thoughts, including concerns about the leadership of the party, and that the strength of opinion would be communicated by me to the leader of the party should they decide to do so.

"Thirdly, we determined that following the Prime Minister's decision a few weeks ago to set out a clear schedule for departure as leader of the party in the event of the Withdrawal Agreement being passed, we would seek similar clarity from her in other circumstances."

He added: "I think the 1922 executive is asking on behalf of the Conservative Party in Parliament that we should have a clear roadmap forward."

Mrs May saw off a bid to remove her by a margin of 200-117 in a vote of Tory MPs on December 12 2018.

Critics of her handling of Brexit had called for the grace period to be reduced to six months, allowing a second confidence vote in June.

Officers of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee first met in Westminster on Tuesday over possible changes to the party's rules.

Afterwards there was no formal statement from the meeting which was said have been inconclusive.

The meeting venue was switched at the last minute to enable members to avoid waiting reporters.

Wednesday's decision means the PM remains safe for now however there is growing impatience among her critics.

Ahead of Tuesday's talks, the committee chairman Sir Graham Brady met privately with Mrs May, when he is reported to have told her MPs want her to announce when she is going.

One member of the executive, joint executive secretary Nigel Evans, has called publicly for Mrs May to go "as soon as possible".

However other members were reported to have pushed back at Tuesday's meeting, questioning what a fresh leadership contest at the current time would achieve.

Mrs May has already sought to buy time, promising Tory MPs last month that she would go once she has delivered Brexit.

But her critics fear the Tories will suffer heavy losses to Nigel Farage's Brexit Party if - as now seems likely - the UK is forced to go ahead with voting in the European elections on May 23.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned that changing the prime minister would not resolve the deadlock in Parliament over Brexit.

Speaking at a TaxPayers' Alliance launch event in London, he said he still hoped it would be possible to get a majority for a deal.

"Changing the prime minister will not change what we need to do to deliver Brexit," he said.

"I hope the House of Commons will come to a majority to be able to deliver the result on the referendum."

Additional reporting by Press Association.