Every Wednesday at 5pm, in the oak-panelled surroundings of parliament’s Committee Room 14, one of the most powerful bodies in the land assembles. The 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers has the ability to determine a Tory leader’s fate before the electorate has a chance.
On 12 June 2017, four days after squandering the Conservatives’ parliamentary majority, Theresa May appeared in front of the 22 and vowed to serve only “as long as you want me”. Her words were an acknowledgment of a changed balance of power. Unlike their Labour counterparts, Conservative MPs have the ability to remove their leader. May’s recent woes, and the desire of an increasing number to oust her, make the 22 central to the party’s future.
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