THERESA May is to face the full force of Conservative anger today when she addresses a private meeting of the party’s 1922 Committee of backbenchers following her election humiliation.

George Osborne, whom she sacked as Chancellor last year and who now edits the London Evening Standard, branded her a “dead woman walking” and even suggested that she could be ousted in a matter of days.

However, showing the post-election tensions within Tory ranks, Dominic Raab, the former minister, hit out at Mr Osborne, accusing him of being "disloyal, unprofessional and pretty self-indulgent".

Nicky Morgan, the former Education Secretary, who was also sacked by the Prime Minister, predicted that there could be a leadership challenge over the summer.

"It's fairly clear Theresa May cannot lead us into another election; of course, we don't know when that's going to happen and I don't think we should rush that," she told ITV's Peston on Sunday.

"But I do think if we're going to have a leadership contest in the Conservative Party, what we cannot do is have another coronation like last summer," she added.

Anna Soubry, the former business minister, made clear Mrs May's position was "untenable" in the long term but cautioned against a rush to replace her.

"I just can't see how she can continue in any long-term way. She will have to go, unfortunately, but not for some time," she told Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday.

"We need stability. We need to put that sense of the economy and our country and the nation's interests absolutely at the forefront, none of this messing about behind the scenes."

Andrew Mitchell, the former international development secretary, said: “There is no disguising the fact it was an absolutely terrible campaign. I have fought nine general elections as a parliamentary candidate and this was by far the worst.”

However, he added: “For now, it would be grossly irresponsible to seek to undermine her premiership. We have an absolute duty to have a Queen’s Speech and to form a government. It’s incumbent on all of us to give the prime minister very strong support in carrying out those two vital tasks.”

Graham Brady, the influential chairman of the 1922 Committee, stressed that there was no appetite for a leadership contest, which could see the party having to fight another general election with the possibility of losing it to Labour.

And Lord Howard of Lympne, the former party leader, denied suggestions that Mrs May was now a "lame duck" premier as he gave her his backing. “She not only can stay but should stay,” declared the Tory peer.

"It'd be immensely disruptive if we had either a Conservative leadership or a general election during the Brexit process," he told BBC Radio 4's The World This Weekend.

After the resignation of Mrs May’s key aides, Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy, Sir Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, made clear that her cabinet colleagues were now asserting their authority over a weakened PM.

The Scot welcomed the No 10 resignations and explained: “We are going to see, I hope, more collective decision-making in the Cabinet. I and other senior colleagues have made that clear to her.

"You will also see that she will want to work much more closely with the parliamentary party both in the conduct of business and the development of policy," he added.

Mr Brady argued that the loss of their Commons majority meant much of the Conservatives’ election manifesto would have to be abandoned and that Mrs May would have to present a "slimmed down" Queen's Speech.

"There is no point in sailing ahead with items that were in the manifesto that we won't get through parliament. We are going to have to work very carefully. I have no doubt that it will be a slimmed down Queen's speech and we should concentrate on the bits that really have to be done," he said.

When he chairs the 1922 Committee later today the atmosphere in the Commons is likely to be incendiary as particularly experienced hands vent their spleen at what many believe was a woefully poor campaign, which saw a poll lead of 20 points whittled down to almost zero, a humiliating U-turn on social care costs and the absence of the PM in live TV debates.

One senior MP described the Tories’ programme for government as “breathtakingly dumb” but accepted the departure of her chief aides had bought Mrs May a little bit of time, stressing the word “little”.