LEADING Brexiteer Tory backbencher Nigel Evans has called for Prime Minister Theresa May to quit as soon as possible.

The Ribble Valley MP said today she should resign by the end of May.

Mr Evans said: "Mrs May has failed on negotiating Brexit.

"She should now give us a timetable for her resignation which should be by the need of next month and before any European Parliament elections we might have on May 23.

"The Prime Minister needs to give the party time to get a new leader who can negotiate our exit from the European Union and give MPs time to quiz possible candidates on their suitability.

"If she will not resign, then the party will have to look at other ways of achieving this.

"The only way we're going to break this deadlock properly is if we have fresh leadership of the Conservative Party.

"If there was an announcement then we could start the process straight away."

It also emerged today that the chairman of Pendle Constituency Conservative Association Adrian Mitchell was one of 70 local Tory bosses calling for an extraordinary general meeting of the grassroots party next month to discuss a vote of no confidence in Mrs May's leadership.

Mr Evans call came as talks between the government and senior Labour figures on how to resolve the Parliamentary deadlock on Brexit resumed as MPs returned to Westminster following Easter.

Mr Evans said Mrs May 'had been reaching out to the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn, when she should have been reaching out to the people'.

Prisons Minister Rory Stewart said Theresa May was doing a good job and deserved 'praise not blame'.

He added: "The idea somehow that some new fresh leader with extraordinary charm and nimble feet would be able to suddenly get the deal across the line is mistaken.

"It's nothing to do with the individual; it's that people disagree deeply about Brexit."

The UK has been given an extension to the Brexit process until October 31