William Hague to be brought back into politics as adviser by under-fire Theresa May

Theresa May is calling upon ex-Tory leader William Hague for advice as she seeks to shore up her faltering administration.

The Prime Minister will have a meeting with the former foreign secretary as she responds to calls from within her own party to listen to a wider group of people.

After Ms May lost the election ministers and MPs all demanded she change the way she ruled and in particular expand her circle of advisers.

A Downing Street source told The Independent that there would not be a formal role for Lord Hague, but confirmed the Tory big-hitter would be going for discussions at Number 10.

Lord Hague was Tory leader from 1997, coming in weeks after Tony Blair’s election landslide, and remaining in post until 2001. He took the party through some of its lowest points, and after leaving the top job gained a reputation as a wise, senior statesman.

His call-up also speaks to the fact that he is popular among local party chairmen, with whom Ms May's standing is now at rock bottom following the botched election.

Using his column in the Telegraph, Lord Hague has backed calls for a cross party commission to form a better approach to Brexit.

When it became clear that Ms May had failed to win a majority, cabinet ministers whose support she needed pointed the finger of blame at her two key advisers Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, both of whom later quit.

But MPs also demanded at meeting of the Conservative party's influential backbench 1922 Committee, that Ms May listen to more voices from within the party about where to take the country next.

Lord Hague later said he had "no plans" to return to government in a formal context.