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A leading Brexiteer MP pleaded with his colleagues to 'search their conscience' and join a coup against Theresa May today.

Simon Clarke - who is among the 25 Tory MPs to have gone public with demands for a vote of no confidence - urged Conservatives to help oust the PM.

The call came despite warnings rebel MPs must not 'hunt down' Mrs May and depose her because it will cause 'untold damage' to the party.

Mutineers led by Jacob Rees-Mogg are trying to unseat the Prime Minister by triggering a party vote of no confidence because they are furious at the compromises contained in her draft Brexit deal to leave the EU.

To trigger the vote, they need 48 MPs to submit a letter of no confidence in the Prime Minister, but so far only 25 have publicly submitted a letter and the rebels are believed to be eight short in total.  

The PM is facing a titanic political battle to cling on to power, and former chief whip Andrew Mitchell today urged the rebels to back off from the ledge, warning them against 'hunting' Mrs May down like Margaret Thatcher.

The mutineers claim they are nearly at the threshold of 48 letters to the chair of the Tory 1922 committee, Sir Graham Brady, needed to spark a ballot. Last week, they claimed to have already crossed the threshold.    

Still 'eight letters short: Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg  is pictured in Westminster today amid claims his coup attempt is foundering. Former chief whip Andrew Mitchell today warned  the rebels against 'hunting' Mrs May down like Margaret Thatcher.

 One of the rebels, Simon Clarke, on Monday urged wavering colleagues to help trigger a leadership challenge.

'It is quite clear to me that the captain is driving the ship at the rocks,' he said.

'This is absolutely the day at which we stand at the bar of history on this,' Simon Clarke told the BBC, adding 'this day must be the point at which ... action is taken'.

Mrs Thatcher’s 11 and a half years in power came crashing down in 1990 when she was abruptly ousted from office in a coup triggered by Michael Heseltine, who mounted a leadership challenged against her. 

She was not ousted in the first round, but her Cabinet ministers ended up wielding the knife – going in one by one to urge her to go resign. Advice Mrs Thatcher ultimately took. 

And today's rebel MPs believe they are close to landing their own killer blow.   

Former Brexit secretary David Davis insisted  the coup was 'teetering close to getting over the 48' but dodged questions over whether he had joined the revolt.

But doubts about the level of support for the revolt have already been raised by the length of time it is taking - with most observers believing the plotters are eight letters short. 

Despite leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg dramatically announcing he was joining the calls last week, Sir Graham said yesterday that he had not received enough.

There are signs of growing nerves among the rebels as constituency associations urge their MPs not to torpedo the package.

Senior Eurosceptics have also admitted that some of their colleagues do not seem to be telling them the truth about whether they have written letters.

Meanwhile, Tory figures have tried to head off the mutiny, with former chief whip Andrew Mitchell warning that the party would sustain massive damage if they were seen to 'hunt her down' as happened to Margaret Thatcher.

Mrs May will vow defiance today as she faces down restive Cabinet ministers and MPs.

She is facing a nail-biting next 48 hours to see if the Tory Brexiteer coup against her gains momentum or falls flat.

Sir Graham is the only Conservative who knows how many MPs have sent their letters in, and the number is shrouded in such secrecy he has not even told his wife Victoria what it is.

He also revealed that some MPs lie and pretend to send their no confidence letters in when they have not - although he did not say if this applied to the rebels trying to oust Mrs May.

And despite the bitter Tory civil war in Westminster, he predicted that Mrs May would win a no confidence vote if one is held against her. 

Speaking on the North West edition of the BBC's Sunday Politics programme, he predicted Mrs May will not be easily toppled.

He said: 'It would be a simple majority, it would be very likely that the Prime Minister would win such a vote and if she did then there would be a 12-month period where this could not happen again, which would be a huge relief for me because people would have to stop asking me questions about numbers of letters for at least 12 months.'

Confirming he had not reached the crucial 48 number,  he told Pienaar's Politics on BBC Radio 5 Live:  'If a threshold were to be reached I would have to consult with the leader of the party the Prime Minister.' 

Pressed on if this would have to happen immediately, he added: 'The whole thing is written with the intention that it should be an expeditious process. 

'I think one of the crazy things which has taken hold over the last few weeks is that people in the media and elsewhere suggesting this is something that would go on for weeks.

'If it were to happen it ought to be a test of opinion very quickly in order to clear the air and get it out the way quickly.'

He said claims he would sit on the letters and wait to hold a vote are 'slightly offensive'. 

Sir Graham said has not written a letter of no confidence himself and  has 'no intention to do so'. 

The Tory MP for Altrincham and Sale West said Britain is entering the 'end game'  of a crucial negotiation and it is not the right time for the Tory Party and Government to be 'plunged into uncertainty'.  

Mr Mitchell told the Times: 'If these letters succeed in triggering a challenge then the party will turn in on itself and that is not a good place for the Conservatives let alone the country.

'It will end making us look like we're hunting the prime minister down as happened with Margaret Thatcher.

'It will do the party untold damage in the eyes of the public.'

But he criticised the PM's Brexit divorce deal, branding it 'tricky' and said he is 'not happy' about the backstop plans warning it could leave Britain trapped in the EU customs union forever. 

The Prime Minister is mounting another robust defence of the package thrashed out with Brussels despite the rising threat of a no-confidence vote by her own MPs.

Moving to quell calls from within Cabinet for the deal to be renegotiated, Mrs May will make clear that there is no prospect of reopening the talks.   

After many days of fevered speculation, Sir Graham Brady (pictured yesterday on the BBC), chairman of the 1922 committee which represents Tory MPs, said yesterday he has still not received enough letters to trigger a confidence vote in Theresa May

Who could replace Theresa May? As Brexiteers move against the Prime Minister because of her deal 'betrayal' these are some of the leading contenders to take over 

Theresa May looks certain to face a vote of no confidence after her Brexit deal was rejected out of hand by Eurosceptics.

If she loses the Tory Party will launch a leadership contest to replace her - a process that will likely take weeks with just months until Brexit Day.

These are some of the leading contenders to replace her:

Dominic Raab

How did they vote on Brexit?

Leave, with a second tier role campaigning for Vote Leave.

What is their view now?

Mr Raab was installed as Brexit Secretary to deliver the Chequers plan but sensationally resigned today saying the deal is not good enough.

What are their chances?

Being the first to resign from the Cabinet has put a rocket booster under Mr Raab's chances, fuelling his popularity among the hardline Brexiteers. May struggle to overcome bigger beasts and better known figures.

Odds: About 11-2

Newly installed as Brexit Secretary, Dominic Raab (pictured in Downing Street on Tuesday) is trying to negotiate Theresa May's Brexit deal

Boris Johnson

How did they vote on Brexit?

Led the Vote Leave campaign alongside Michael Gove.

What is their view now?

Hard line Brexiteer demanding a clean break from Brussels. The former foreign secretary is violently opposed to Theresa May's Chequers plan and a leading voice demanding a Canada-style trade deal.

What are their chances?

Rated as second favourite by the bookies, Mr Johnson's biggest challenge will be navigating the Tory leadership rules. He may be confident of winning a run-off among Tory members but must first be selected as one of the top two candidates by Conservative MPs.

Odds: 5/1

Rated as second favourite by the bookies, Boris Johnson's (pictured at Tory conference last month) biggest challenge will be navigating the Tory leadership rules

Sajid Javid

How did they vote on Brexit?

Remain but kept a low profile in the referendum.

What is their view now?

Pro delivering Brexit and sceptical of the soft Brexit options.

What are their chances?

Probably the leading candidate from inside the Cabinet after his dramatic promotion to Home Secretary. Mr Javid has set himself apart from Mrs May on a series of policies, notably immigration.

Favourite with several of the bookies at around 5/1.

Sajid Javid (pictured in Downing Street) is probably the leading candidate from inside the Cabinet after his dramatic promotion to Home Secretary

Jeremy Hunt

How did they vote on Brexit?

Remain.

What is their view now?

The Foreign Secretary claims the EU Commission's 'arrogance' has made him a Brexiteer.

What are their chances?

Another top contender inside Cabinet, Mr Hunt's stock rose during his record-breaking stint at the Department of Health and won a major promotion to the Foreign Office after Mr Johnson's resignation. Widely seen as a safe pair of hands which could be an advantage if the contest comes suddenly.

Rated around 8/1 by the bookies.

Jeremy Hunt's stock rose during his record-breaking stint at the Department of Health and won a major promotion to the Foreign Office after Mr Johnson's resignation

David Davis

How did they vote on Brexit?

Leave.

What is their view now?

Leave and a supporter of scrapping Mrs May's plan and pursuing a Canada-style trade deal with the EU.

What are their chances?

The favoured choice of many hard Brexiteers. Seen as a safer pair of hands than Mr Johnson and across the detail of the current negotiation after two years as Brexit Secretary. He could be promoted a caretaker to see through Brexit before standing down.

Unlikely to be the choice of Remain supporters inside the Tory Party - and has been rejected by the Tory membership before, in the 2005 race against David Cameron.

Rated around 11/1 by the bookies.

David Davis (pictured last month at a Brexiteer policy launch) is seen as a safer pair of hands than Mr Johnson and across the detail of the current negotiation after two years as Brexit Secretary

Amber Rudd

How did they vote on Brexit?

Remain. Represented Britain Stronger in Europe in the TV debates.

What is their view now?

Strongly remain and supportive of a second referendum - particularly given a choice between that and no deal.

What are their chances?

Popular among Conservative MPs as the voice of Cameron-style Toryism, Ms Rudd is still seen as a contender despite resigning amid the Windrush scandal. Badly hampered by having a tiny majority in her Hastings constituency and would not be able to unite the Tory party in a sudden contest over the Brexit negotiation.

Out to 50/1 among many bookies.

Popular among Conservative MPs as the voice of Cameron-style Toryism, Amber Rudd (pictured at Tory conference last month) is still seen as a contender despite resigning amid the Windrush scandal

Penny Mordaunt

How did they vote on Brexit?

Leave

What is their view now?

Leave and subject of persistent rumour she could be the next to quit Cabinet over Mrs May's Brexit deal.

What are their chances?

Possible dark horse in the contest, Ms Mordaunt is not well known to the public but is seen as a contender in Westminster. She has been encouraged to join the Cabinet revolt over the Brexit deal and could resign within hours.

Bookies rate her around 16/1.

Possible dark horse in the contest, Penny Mordaunt (pictured in Downing Street) is not well known to the public but is seen as a contender in Westminster