WEST Devon and East Cornwall’s MPs are split on whether to support the Prime Minister or not as she faces a vote of no confidence later today.

Theresa May is facing a fight to cling on to her leadership today after at least 48 members of the Conservative Party have put in writing that they have no confidence in her.

Any time the chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservatives - Sir Graham Brady - receives letters from 15% of the party’s MPs, a secret ballot is triggered. If Mrs May wins, they cannot challenge her premiership for another year. But if she loses the vote, there will be a leadership election in which she is not allowed to run. This outcome could have huge ramifications on Brexit.

Among the MPs to publicly state they have submitted letters of no confidence is Sheryll Murray, MP for South East Cornwall.

She tweeted a statement declaring her vote of no confidence earlier this morning. In it, she said: ‘British fisherman were forced to accept a continuance of the crumbs they have received under the CFP for a further 21 months and it is becoming clearer that the Prime Minister was moving in a direction where we would leave the Common Fisheries Policy in name only. The language used regarding the future of our fish stock has always been “we will negotiate”.

‘I have raised this matter with the Prime Minister on numerous occasions and have not received adequate reassurance, just mixed messages or my question dodged. This is unacceptable.’

Ms Murray also mentioned the fact that the Northern Ireland backstop could leave the UK ‘tied into EU rules’ was ‘unacceptable’, and that this was also part of the reason for her letter of no confidence.

However, both Okehampton’s Central Devon MP Mel Stride and Attorney General and Torridge and West Devon MP Geoffrey Cox have expressed their support for Mrs May.

Mr Cox, who was caught in the heart of a historic political storm this week as the Government was the first to be found in contempt of Parliament after failing to publish its full legal advice document on Brexit, tweeted: ‘I shall be supporting the Prime Minister this evening. This is no time for the self indulgent spasm of a leadership election.

‘Nothing fundamental will be altered by it. This is a time to show loyalty and discipline in supporting the PM in discharging the duties of govenment.’

In a tweet, Mr Stride said: ‘I’m supporting the PM - time to put our country first and get the deal done #backingtheresa’