PHILIP Hammond has attacked “self-indulgent” colleagues who have raised the prospect of a Cabinet coup against Theresa May.

As the febrile atmosphere at Westminster intensifies, the Prime Minister this afternoon invited key Brexiteers, including Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Dominic Raab, to her Chequers retreat in the Buckinghamshire countryside to see if there was any way her deal could get through the Commons and survive a third disastrous defeat.

Earlier, the Chancellor insisted MPs, if they could not back the Government's “sensible and coherent” plan – and, he admitted, it was “looking very difficult” to see a majority for it - then they had to seek a deliverable compromise.

Intriguingly, Mr Hammond talked up a second EU poll as a “perfectly coherent proposition”.

He insisted replacing Ms May would not "solve the problem" despite heavy criticism of her handling of the Brexit process and public calls from Tory MPs for her to stand aside.

"We have just over two weeks to complete this process before we get to April 12, the new deadline the Council has set last week. To be talking about changing the players on the board frankly is self-indulgent at this time," the Chancellor told Sky News's Sophy Ridge On Sunday.

He denied reports that he wanted David Lidington, the PM’s de facto deputy, to be installed as a caretaker prime minister but refused to be drawn on whether his colleagues had approached him asking him to make an intervention.

“I speak to all sorts of colleagues and I’m not going to divulge the contents of those conversations but I will be absolutely upfront people are very frustrated and desperate to find a way forward in the just over two weeks we have got to resolve this issue,” said Mr Hammond.

However, he acknowledged that "people are very frustrated and people are desperate to find a way forward in the just over two weeks that we've got to resolved this issue".

The Chancellor stressed: "This is not about the Prime Minister or any other individual, this is about the future of our country.

"Changing prime minister wouldn't help us, changing the party in Government wouldn't help us: we've got to address the question of what type of Brexit is acceptable to Parliament, what type of way forward Parliament can agree on so that we can avoid what would be an economic catastrophe of a no-deal exit and also what would be a very big challenge to confidence in our political system if we didn't exit at all."

He explained that MPs would have in the next few days a chance to vote on alternatives to the PM’s deal – which could still not be put to MPs for fear it would suffer a third major rejection.

“Parliament has to come together and make a decision over the coming days. The Government has been clear it will allow Parliament the time and the space to do that, if can’t agree the PM’s deal, to say what it can agree to.”

Noting how any alternative had to be agreed to by the EU27, Mr Hammond ruled out no-deal and revocation but said there had to be “compromises all round”. Asked about the possibility – supported by Tom Watson, Labour’s deputy leader, on Saturday – of a People’s Vote on the PM’s deal, he replied: “I’m not sure there is a majority in Parliament in support of a second referendum but it is a perfectly coherent proposition…It deserves to be considered with the other proposals.”

Following Mrs May’s controversial address in Downing St on Wednesday when she berated MPs for failing to back her deal and suggested they were out of step with public sentiment and following the EU27 setting the terms of Britain’s departure, the PM’s leadership has come under intense pressure.

One Cabinet minister declared: “The end is nigh. She won’t be PM in 10 days’ time,” while another claimed his leader’s judgement had “started to go haywire”.

Nicky Morgan, the pro-EU former Education Secretary urged Cabinet ministers to tell the PM "it's time to go" while Steve Baker, the leading Brexiteer, said potential leadership contenders in the Government should "act now".

George Freeman, Mrs May's former policy adviser, argued it was "all over for the PM", tweeting: "She's done her best. But across the country you can see the anger.

"Everyone feels betrayed. Government's gridlocked. Trust in democracy collapsing. This can't go on. We need a new PM who can reach out (and) build some sort of coalition for a PlanB."

His Tory colleague Anne-Marie Trevelyan noted: "We now need a leader who believes in our country and wants to take her on the next stage of her journey."

Conservative peer Lord Gadhia, a former member of David Cameron's inner circle, said the upcoming days in Parliament might be "very dramatic" and that he could see the end of Mrs May's time as premier.

While there were expressions of support for Mr Lidington to take over the helm in a temporary capacity, others blanched at the suggestion that a Remainer should lead the Brexit process with some suggesting Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary and leading Leaver during the 2016 campaign, should take over as caretaker leader.

In his Aylesbury constituency, Mr Lidington made clear he had no desire to take over from Mrs May.

"I don't think that I've any wish to take over from the PM,[who] is doing a fantastic job.

"I tell you this: one thing that working closely with the Prime Minister does is cure you completely of any lingering shred of ambition to want to do that task. I have absolute admiration for the way she is going about it."

The Cabinet Office minister said he was "not attracted by" nor had time for plotting.

"I've learnt to take rumours in the papers with a bit of a pinch of salt over the years," he added.

Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, lashed out at Cabinet ministers briefing against the PM, telling BBC One's Andrew Marr Show: "That's appalling. They should be censured and some of them should be sacked.

"And the idea of a cabal, a cabal that never wanted to leave the European Union, turning out to decide what should happen over our future would be unacceptable to my colleagues."

Claiming a leadership election would create "complete chaos," he said Cabinet ministers owed Mrs May not to behave as they had.

"Round the country, in the Conservative Party, and outside the Conservative Party there will be real disgust at the behaviour of some of our Cabinet ministers, who are not fit for their positions if they behave like this. They should be apologising and they should shut up for God's sake."

The Scot said the last week in politics had been "as close to a national humiliation as I've seen" but stressed he was keeping his options open on whether he would back the PM’s plan, having already voted against it twice.

He added: "I'm going to keep, and I recommend my colleagues do, keep their options open on this because we don't know what's happening this week, we've no idea what the alternatives are and whether people vote for this or not depends hugely on whether we are able to leave with no-deal or not or whether there is a change to this."

Tomorrow, the PM is due to give a Commons statement on the European Council. It will be followed by a “next steps” debate by MPs.

A backbench amendment, led by Labour’s Hilary Benn and the Conservatives’ Sir Oliver Letwin, will seek to establish a debate and vote on Wednesday on so-called "indicative votes" on the various Brexit options from no-deal, a Norway-style Brexit, a Canada-style trade deal, a People’s Vote to revocation of Article 50.

Last week, such an amendment was defeated by just two votes and it seems likely to get passed on Monday evening.