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Tory chairman Sir Patrick McLoughlin faced calls to resign today as MPs loyal to Theresa May demanded blood over her speech shambles.

One furious backbencher told the Standard: “Patrick is a Filofax chairman. We need a Facebook chairman.

"He should have resigned the day after the disastrous election night. He should now be sacked.”

Another said: “Somebody has to take responsibility for the shambles of the past week, frankly.

"Everyone likes Patrick but he has completely f***ed up. The word is that he tried to resign after the election but she got him to stay on.”

Friends of Sir Patrick say he is feeling bruised by the attacks and fear he is being set up to take responsibility for the incident.

They say he is a party loyalist and would resign without fuss if Mrs May asked him to — but they also point out that he opposed Mrs May’s disastrous decision to hold the snap election in June.

One of the key figures in the election, Mrs May’s former aide Nick Timothy, said this week’s conference had failed to address the key challenges of Brexit and the electorate’s desire for change.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, he said: “Confronted with these challenges the Conservatives failed to rise to the occasion at their conference, just as they have failed to do so since the election result sparked their crisis of confidence.”

Knives are also out for Boris Johnson, whose headline-hogging behaviour overshadowed the conference.

Several MPs are understood to have asked for it to be discussed by the 1922 Committee executive on Wednesday next week.

Downing Street was saying nothing, and there was speculation among MPs that Sir Patrick, the well-liked former coal miner who has served four prime ministers as a minister, will emerge as a fall-guy for a catastrophic series of mishaps that turned Mrs May’s fightback speech into a fiasco.

Lee Nelson interrupts Tory Conference - In pictures 11 show all Lee Nelson interrupts Tory Conference - In pictures 1/11 Comedian Simon Brodkin, hands Prime Minister Theresa May a 'P45' in character as Lee Nelson during her keynote speech at the Conservative Party Conference Reuters 2/11 The prankster was ushered out of the Tory conference afterwards Reuters 3/11 He gave a thumbs up to senior Tories after what was described as a major security breach Jeremy Selwyn 4/11 The comedian ruffled the Prime Minister's feathers with his prank PA 5/11 The 'P45' form had the words 'neither strong or stable' printed on it PA 6/11 A close-up of Theresa May being handed the form Reuters 7/11 The form that was given to the Prime Minister Jeremy Selwyn 8/11 He addressed senior members of the conservative party. Here the Prankster speaks to Amber Rudd Jeremy Selwyn 9/11 Comedian Simon Brodkin, also known as Lee Nelson is led out of the Conservative Party Conference PA 10/11 He was promptly ejected from the auditorium Jeremy Selwyn 11/11 Simon Bodkin, also known as Lee Nelson being put into a police van after confronting Prime Minister Theresa May during her keynote speech PA 1/11 Comedian Simon Brodkin, hands Prime Minister Theresa May a 'P45' in character as Lee Nelson during her keynote speech at the Conservative Party Conference Reuters 2/11 The prankster was ushered out of the Tory conference afterwards Reuters 3/11 He gave a thumbs up to senior Tories after what was described as a major security breach Jeremy Selwyn 4/11 The comedian ruffled the Prime Minister's feathers with his prank PA 5/11 The 'P45' form had the words 'neither strong or stable' printed on it PA 6/11 A close-up of Theresa May being handed the form Reuters 7/11 The form that was given to the Prime Minister Jeremy Selwyn 8/11 He addressed senior members of the conservative party. Here the Prankster speaks to Amber Rudd Jeremy Selwyn 9/11 Comedian Simon Brodkin, also known as Lee Nelson is led out of the Conservative Party Conference PA 10/11 He was promptly ejected from the auditorium Jeremy Selwyn 11/11 Simon Bodkin, also known as Lee Nelson being put into a police van after confronting Prime Minister Theresa May during her keynote speech PA

Cabinet minister Greg Clark, an ultra loyalist, praised the Prime Minister’s “guts and grace” when her speech was derailed by a prankster who handed her a P45, by a cold that left her spluttering and croaking, and bits dropping off the stage set.

But Business Secretary Mr Clark made little attempt to defend Sir Patrick during a morning round of media interviews.

He said it was a “serious incident” that comedian Simon Brodkin got within touching distance of the Prime Minister and pointed out “that could have been someone with violent intent”.

When asked if the chairman was culpable, he said: “I don’t know what part of the weakness of the system it was, but it clearly needs to be established.”

Brandon Lewis, the Immigration Minister, was reported to be a potential replacement as chairman.

Critics of Mr Johnson, the Foreign Secretary, say his behaviour will be debated as part of an inquest into the conference next week.

A 1922 Committee executive member said: “There were mutterings within the parliamentary party about him making comments before his speech. I think he saved himself by his speech, which showed he still has a huge amount of popularity.

“We will be having a post mortem on Wednesday about all of this. Boris will definitely come up.”

Mr Johnson overshadowed the official agenda by setting out alleged “red lines” over Brexit. He later made a gaffe about clearing “dead bodies away” in Libya.

A senior Tory MP said: “Boris Johnson is in serious trouble. A lot of the MPs feels he hijacked the conference. When we get back next week the conversation will take place at the 1922 Committee.

“I wouldn’t underestimate the anger that has been felt towards him. The self-serving indulgent behaviour. We haven’t got a Foreign Secretary at the moment and he didn’t give a speech on foreign affairs.”

Some MPs say there is talk of getting 48 backbenchers to write to 1922 chairman Sir Graham Brady asking him to seek Boris’s resignation.

Currently 48 MPs is the number needed to trigger a vote of confidence in Mrs May’s leadership.

The senior Tory said: “This is unprecedented. There has never been a situation before where they want a cabinet secretary sacked.”

Around 30 MPs are said to have indicated they are could form a delegation to ask Mrs May to step down. The same number are said to be willing to write letters to force Mrs May out, up from 26 before the speech fiasco, according to a former minister keeping tally.

Mr Clark insisted there was no mood in the party for a leadership challenge.

“A lot of the people who were there in the hall and watching it on TV will have admired, frankly, the guts and the grace the PM showed,” he told Today.

He called for the party to be “effective and cool-headed” in government, and said there would be “no patience” for any “distractions”.

A number of Cabinet ministers telephoned the Prime Minister after her speech to promise their backing.

Backbencher Mark Pritchard tweeted that a “small number” of colleagues were on manoeuvres.

Today he predicted: “Attempts to drum up a delegation of 30 MPs to try & force PM out - will fail. Also cowardly. If any MPs want her out - there is 1922 process.”

With no agreement on a new permanent leader, some MPs think a caretaker could replace Mrs May until after Brexit in March 2019, with the names of Brexit Secretary David Davis and loyalist Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon being touted.

Some even think Father of the House Kenneth Clarke might make way for Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson by quitting his safe seat and forcing a by-election.

Business minister Margot James blamed “embittered” ex-ministers for any plotting against Mrs May.

“That sort of thing is rife in politics,” she told BBC Newsnight.

“There are some ex-Cabinet ministers or ex-ministers who are extremely embittered individuals who just want to get their own back on the fact that they don’t feel recognised.”

Sir Patrick was born in Stafford to a family of pit workers. He joined the National Union of Mineworkers but worked through the 1984-85 strike, speaking at Tory party conference about his experience as a working miner.

An MP since 1986 he became junior Transport Minister under Margaret Thatcher in 1989, Transport Secretary under John Major, was David Cameron’s chief whip in 2010, and chairman since 2016.