Ex-cabinet minister Esther McVey says she would run for Conservative leader if asked

Ex-Brexit secretary Dominic Raab also said he would not rule out a run at the Tory leadership

Ex-cabinet minister Esther McVey has said she would run to be Conservative leader if she was asked to by colleagues.

The former pensions secretary said that there should be someone leading the country who has “passion” to deliver Brexit.

Ms McVey said she would back Theresa May if she tried to renegotiate her deal, but otherwise argued that the prime minister would find herself in a difficult situation.

In a separate interview ex-Brexit secretary Dominic Raab also would not rule out a bid for the Tory crown, but said a contest now would be indulgent.

They were talking as pressure on Ms May and her administration appeared to be approaching its peak, with leadership rivals jostling for position and talk of the collapse of the government in the media.

Ministers were still adamant on Sunday morning that the crunch vote on the PM’s preferred Brexit deal on Tuesday would take place, despite claims that it might be delayed.

Speaking to Sky News’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Ms McVey said she is “looking for a person who can unite the party behind a Brexit deal.”

She said: “I have seen the array of people who have come forward at the moment and I think if we can all get behind one...for me the most important thing is not the personalities it is the deal.”

Asked if she would rule out running herself, she went on: “If people asked me then of course I should say, of course should give it serious concern and do it – if people asked me. But at the moment I’m looking at who is in the papers, who can we get behind, but it shouldn’t be about the personality it should be about the country.”

Ms McVey said she would support the prime minister if she were to go back to Brussels and try and renegotiate the deal, in particular around the Irish backstop and the £39bn ‘divorce bill’ that Ms May’s withdrawal agreement accounts for.

Mr Raab was interviewed on the same show, and asked if he would rule out a run, he said: “I’ve always said I wouldn’t rule it out, but I’m just not going to get sucked in to that debate.

“The public and people watching this show would think it would be very self-indulgent to be engaging in that speculation.”

He would not comment when asked if he would stand aside for fellow Brexiteer Boris Johnson to run for the leadership.

It came as comments the government was hit by another resignation over the Brexit plan – Will Quince, a ministerial aide to defence secretary Gavin Williamson.

He hit out at the backstop plan to avoid a hard border with Ireland, saying it could result in the UK being “tied to the negotiating table for years, until we agree to anything in desperation” to get out of the situation.

For her part, Ms May warned Tory MPs they risk handing Jeremy Corbyn the keys to Number 10 unless they back her Brexit deal in an interview with Mail on Sunday, .

“It would mean grave uncertainty for the nation with a very real risk of no Brexit or leaving the European Union with no deal,” she told the Mail on Sunday.

“We have a leader of the Opposition who thinks of nothing but attempting to bring about a general election, no matter what the cost to the country.

“As someone who cares passionately about my country and my party, I believe Jeremy Corbyn getting his hands on power is a risk we cannot afford to take.”

Reports suggested Ms May could make an emergency trip to Brussels ahead of a planned summit on Thursday in an effort to secure further concessions in an effort to win over critics of her plan.