Attempt to topple Theresa May appears to have been crushed after angry Tory MPs rode to the rescue and turned their fire on the chief plotter.

Ringleader Grant shapps a former party chairman, was left isolated when loyalist Conservative MPs denounced him. while his backers failed to come out in public support.

Mr Shapps was branded cowardly, embittered and a fantasist, with nowhere near the 30 odd signatures he claimed of MPs wanting the Prime Minister to fall on her sword.

Mr Shapps who resigned after a bullying scandal and has few party allies appeared to have worked with MPs reluctant to follow his banner.Conservative MPs who spoke to The reporters agreed there was no powerful reason to replace the Prime Minister at the moment despite her conference disaster.

However, her position remains perilous with attempts to gather names against her set to continue a stumbling economy and Brexit talks resuming next week with no sign of the deadlock being broken.

One former minister predicted, Grant will fail but suggested his mutiny would accelerate a coup attempt by a more serious player fearing a rival is also poised to pounce.No one will want to start getting organised too late if they think there is going to be a contest, so Grant’s move may force someone else to show their hand the MP said.

The Prime Minister herself sent out a business as usual message on a visit in her Maidenhead constituency, claiming progress on both Brexit and her domestic agenda.

Now what the country needs is calm leadership and that’s what I am providing with the full support of my Cabinet, she told reporters.There was now real momentum to the withdrawal negotiations, she argued, while a bill to cap energy prices to stop ordinary working families being ripped off would come next week.

A day of drama began when Mr Shapps was revealed as the leader of the attempted coup after he claimed party whips leaked his name.

The plotters had intended to go to Ms May privately to persuade her to stand down, after Mr Shapps and party whips had agreed he should not disrupt the party conference.