Theresa May
© Reuters / Toby Melville
A number of Tory MPs have been quoted using violent language such as "bring her own noose," to attack British PM Theresa May, claiming she is on course to face a vote of no confidence this week from all wings of the party.

On Wednesday, May will be summoned before the Tory backbench 1922 committee, in what has been described as a last ditch attempt for the PM to save her job - a process dubbed "a show trial" by one Conservative MP, the Sunday Times reports.

Ahead of the critical meeting, a series of Conservative MPs launched an unprecedented attack on May, with language more befitting of a trailer for a blockbuster war or action movie. The paper quotes one unnamed Tory MP as saying: "The moment is coming when the knife gets heated, stuck in her front and twisted. She'll be dead soon."

An ally of former Brexit secretary David Davis, who is being tipped as an interim leader said May was now entering "the killing zone", and a third remarked: "Assassination is in the air." The Mail on Sunday quotes one senior Brexiteer: "She should bring her own noose to the '22. Short of an uncharacteristically powerful, persuasive and coherent performance, then I think her time will be up."

Anti-Brexit Protest Theresa May
© REUTERS / SIMON DAWSON Protesters participating in an anti-Brexit demonstration, carry an effigy of PM Theresa May
The use of violent language against the PM has been widely condemned across the political spectrum. Labour's Yvette Cooper, the head of the House of Commons home affairs select committee, told BBC 4's Today programme such language was unacceptable, especially in light of the murder of Jo Cox MP in 2016.

"This is vile and dehumanising language towards a woman MP, towards a prime minister who, no matter how much you might disagree with her, is someone who is doing a job in public life," she said.

First Minister of Scotland, the SNP's Nicola Sturgeon, has taken to social media to say that in spite of their political differences "language like this debases politics."


Times columnist Iain Martin insisted any MP identified as using such politically violent language should have the whip removed followed by deselection. Others questioned whether such language would have been aimed at a male PM and raised the issue of MPs who have either been murdered or have had threats on their lives.






Asked to comment on the use of such language, the PM's official spokesman said: "I don't intend to dignify those specific anonymous comments with a response.

"The prime minister has always been very clear that we must set a tone in public discourse that is neither dehumanising nor derogatory. Personal vitriol has no place in our politics."