‎Facing a mutiny, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak is abandoning ship.

Hudak on Wednesday informed his furious caucus mates via email that he will resign as of July 2 because “a significant number” of Tory MPPs believe he can’t continue.

It was not immediately clear who will serve as interim leader.

A revolt against the embattled leader had been brewing within the Conservative caucus in the wake of last week’s election defeat.

At least 13 Conservative MPPs in the reduced 28-membe‎r caucus wanted Hudak to leave immediately — and told him so directly in a brutally frank meeting Monday.

“Every hour that he stays on will increase the fractiousness and the divisions between him and his caucus,” MPP Randy Hillier (Larnark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington) said Wednesday before Hudak’s decision.

“Over half of caucus . . . demanded very clearly and in clear language that Tim has to resign. That was made clear to him Monday. He does not have the confidence of caucus,” said the outspoken veteran who contacted the Star after reading a loyalist’s defence of Hudak in this newspaper.

Conservative MPPs were furious at Hudak for his campaign promise to eliminate 100,000 jobs over four years — which essentially ensured Premier Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals of victory in Thursday’s election.

Tory sources said the brain-trust was so excited about the pledge to reduce the size of government they actually considered naming some of those being fired if they took power.

For example, the campaign thought seriously about having Hudak provide “pink slips” for more than 200 employees at the Ontario Power Authority.

They also considered wallpapering a large hall with all the thousands of names of Ontario Power Generation staffers earning $100,000 or more annually for a media event to illustrate the bloated hydro bureaucracy.

But calmer heads on the team prevailed and such questionable stunts were scrapped though the 100,000-job cut remained.

“I knew it was a stupid policy. There was no value in it. There had been no discussion about it. There was no justification for it. Many people felt betrayed by that policy,” said Hillier.

Tory MPP Todd Smith (Prince Edward-Hastings) had said Monday “this was an anti-Tim Hudak election.”

“What we’ve seen is a very confrontational approach over the last little while and I think we need to have a softer approach, a more collaborative approach,” said Smith.

Sources say Hudak initially stared down his critics during Monday’s three-and-a-half hour closed-door bloodletting.

“I think you’re enjoying telling me that a little too much,” the leader reportedly had sniped after one MPP delivered a plea for him to leave.

When another MPP confided to him that “90 per cent of the caucus thinks you should go,” Hudak apparently shot back: “I don’t care if 100 per cent of caucus wanted me to go, I wouldn’t.”

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Hillier, who has no leadership aspirations and isn’t backing any challenger, said he and his caucus mates were “completely astonished and bewildered” at Hudak’s stubbornness.

“In my view, it was a display of arrogance and contempt toward us. It was essentially the same personification of the whole campaign.”

A veteran Tory insider said the situation was “nasty.”

“Is he really prepared to go down in a ball of flames?” said the long-time operative, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal machinations before the leader emailed colleagues with his decision to step down.

At first, Hudak — who makes $180,886 as leader of the official Opposition, a $64,336 premium over an MPP’s $116,550 base pay — had been defiant.

“I announced my plans on the Thursday night,” he said Monday, referring to his timetable for staying on the job until a successor is elected — possibly as late as next spring.

“The party will decide what the process is around a new leader.”

Indeed, according to the party’s constitution, Hudak was correct in that caucus has no power to remove him and appoint an interim leader.

MPP Steve Clark (Leeds-Grenville) said earlier Wednesday there was no rush and that everyone should cool their heels until a party executive meeting on July 5.

“We should wait to have the leadership. We need to know the rules of the game,” said Clark, who is pushing MPP Lisa MacLeod (Nepean-Carleton) to run for leader.

Other possible candidates for leader are MPPs Christine Elliott (Whitby-Oshawa) and Vic Fedeli (Nipissing), federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt, and backbench MPs Patrick Brown (Barrie) and Rick Dykstra (St. Catharines), who are former Queen’s Park staffers.

In Ottawa, Dykstra said he’s “certainly kept my options open” while Brown said he has “had some encouraging suggestions and it’s something that I would consider, but it’s still very premature.”

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