THREE Tory MPs from York and North Yorkshire have indicated they will back Theresa May in tonight's vote of confidence.

A spokesman for York Outer MP Julian Sturdy said he would be supporting the Prime Minister, as he took the view that changing the PM at the moment would 'not be the right course of action.'

Kevin Hollinrake, the MP for Thirsk and Malton, tweeted that he would be '100 per cent supporting the PM,' adding, in a reference to the Brexit deal she has negotiated: "So easy to criticise from the sidelines but no other deal delivers on pre-referendum promises of frictionless trade, end to free movement, no EU budget contribution, independent trade deals and no hard border in NI"

Andrew Jones, the MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, tweeted that the PM had shown ' determined and resilient' leadership, and that Britain did not need further instability during complex and difficult negotiations.

The vote, which runs for two hours from 6pm, is being held after 48 Conservative MPs called for one but a defiant Mrs May has vowed to contest the vote "with everything I have got,' and warned that a new prime minister would be faced with the choice of "delaying or even stopping Brexit".

Meanwhile, a lecturer in British politics at the University of York has claimed the decision by Brexiteers to trigger a leadership contest at this time does not make sense, even if they win it.

He said: "The Brexiteers don't agree on who they want to replace May. They are not clear concerning what they want as an alternative Brexit deal.

"Even if they were clear, it is extremely unlikely that the EU will be willing to renegotiate the deal on the table, thus precipitating a no deal Brexit.

"It isn't even clear that all Brexiteers are comfortable with a no deal scenario, which of course will be opposed by the majority of MPs in the House of Commons.

"The only thing that seems clear is this decision to trigger a leadership election at this time could be potentially disastrous for the Conservative Party's electoral fortunes.

"They could find themselves out of power again for a substantial amount of time."