Tory Eurosceptics have admitted an attempt to unseat Theresa May has stalled as bitter in-fighting broke out among Brexiteers.

Despite confident predictions from Tory rebels that a no confidence vote would be held as soon as Tuesday, the extra letters from Conservative MPs needed to trigger a ballot failed to materialise on Monday.

The confidence vote now appears to be on hold until after Parliament votes next month on Mrs May's Brexit deal, which will itself be seen as a referendum on her leadership.

Mrs May also faced down senior Brexiteers Iain Duncan Smith and Owen Paterson in Downing Street hours after the so-called “gang of five” Brexiteer Cabinet ministers - who had threatened to make life difficult for the Prime Minister unless she agreed to renegotiate her deal - disbanded before they had even met.

She won applause from business leaders with a Brexit speech at the CBI’s annual conference, and could go to Brussels as early as Tuesday to agree the direction of future trade talks with the EU before the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement is signed off by EU leaders on Sunday.

One senior Brexiteer source told The Telegraph: “Today was supposed to be the day we finally got the 48 letters needed to force a no confidence vote but some people didn’t turn up to be counted. There is a lot of frustration, especially with some of the big names who haven’t yet put letters in.”