Rishi Sunak had a private meeting with the chairman of the 1922 backbench committee on Monday, Sky News can reveal.

The prime minister saw Sir Graham Brady on Monday night on the margins of a scheduled 1922 executive meeting.

It comes amid concerns from growing numbers of MPs at the direction of the Tory party.

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Number 10 and Sir Graham have been contacted, but neither commented on the meeting.

However, a source confirmed the fact of the gathering and told Sky News the pair met “briefly”.

Sir Graham, the long-time chair of the committee, can hold meetings with the PM and top government figures at important moments in their premiership.

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He met Jeremy Hunt, the newly-appointed chancellor, in October 2022 in the final week of Liz Truss’s premiership.

Sir Graham will know how many letters of no confidence have been submitted and how close a vote in the PM’s leadership is to being triggered.

In light of the defection of Lee Anderson to Reform, the row over a donor’s reported language about Diane Abbott, the lacklustre reception of the budget and the continued massive poll deficit, Tory MPs are increasingly anxious about the direction of the party.

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Allies of Sunak say that 30-40 Conservative MPs want an election in May.

They say this is a different group to the troublemakers.

They added there was only a 2% chance of an election, and that key campaign figures had booked holidays over Easter.

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One Tory MP said they were 50/50 for a May election, and that most colleagues were of the same mind.

“There is argument for just ripping off the sticking plaster,” said one.

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Another said a group were looking at forcing the PM into an early election by threatening a vote of no confidence in Mr Sunak after the local elections, when the Tories could lose a substantial number of councillors.

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