Theresa May told to set out her No10 exit plan to head off a revolt

[Hogg]

THERESA May has been urged to set out her No 10 exit plan — to head off a revolt by her restless troops.

Rebel MPs say they will call off their coup plot if she signals she will step down before the next election.

But the stubborn Prime Minister has revealed she is “a little bit irritated” about the ongoing debate about her leadership qualities.

Some Tories have vowed to topple her unless she gives a clear departure message at their party conference in two weeks.

They have said she can buy herself a stay of execution by assuring them she will go once she has led Britain out of the EU.

First, they want her to ditch her soft Brexit proposal hatched at the Chequers summit.

And they have warned of a rocky ride unless she sets out her stall early at the conference in Birmingham.

One top Tory said: “She needs to chuck Chequers first and then throw us a bone about her own future.

“It does nothing to help her position when aides brief that she intends to stay on to fight the 2022 election. That is not going to happen.”

A leadership frenzy erupted last week when a group of 50 Tory MPs met to discuss her future.

A handful have submitted letters to the Conservative 1922 committee demanding a contest.

If a total of 48 MPs do the same, she will face a no-confidence vote.

But Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, an arch critic of her Chequers plan, hailed the PM as “heroic” and said: “Changing the pilot would not affect the weather.”

Writing in The Sun on Sunday today, he says: “It is worth remembering the Prime Minister’s virtues.

“She is determined, thorough and dutiful, and in my view duty is an heroic virtue.

"This gives her great strength and without a clear Parliamentary majority it is not obvious that anyone else could steer the negotiations to a conclusion.”

Mrs May has privately admitted to annoyance at the debate over her leadership — and said her priority is getting a good deal for the UK.

In a Panorama special to air tomorrow, she will say: “It’s the future of the people in the UK that matters.”