Theresa May is facing the prospect of a confidence vote in her leadership

As Theresa May walked into the House of Commons chamber on Thursday the mood was dripping with political menace; by the time she finished briefing MPs on her Brexit strategy almost three hours later, her premiership was facing a full-blown crisis.

Even before she arrived in the Palace of Westminster, Mrs May’s government was rocking: Dominic Raab, the minister in charge of Brexit, had quit in protest at the prime minister’s strategy; others soon joined the ministerial “Brexodus”.

As Mrs May updated MPs on the compromise Brexit deal approved by her divided cabinet on Wednesday, the political storm grew in intensity, with rumours swirling that Eurosceptic Conservatives would soon try to topple her in a vote of no-confidence.

The prime minister ploughed on regardless, urging MPs to back her Brexit deal “in the national interest”, but around the chamber the last rites were being read over the withdrawal agreement that she and her advisers have spent months negotiating in Brussels.