Prime Minister Theresa May faces a vote of no confidence after 48 MPs from her own party sent letters questioning her ability to lead.

The vote will take place this evening, and in order for May to remain as PM, she needs 159 votes in her favor. If she wins, her leadership cannot be challenged for a full year. However, many MPs are arguing that if she doesn’t win by a wide enough margin, she must accept that her Brexit plan will never make it through Parliament, and she should either step down or radically change policies.

In response to the announcement of the vote, May vowed to fight it “with everything [she has] got,” and warned that a new prime minister would be taking on an incredibly difficult job, and would be faced with “delaying or even stopping Brexit.” She went on to say, “A leadership election would not change the fundamentals of the negotiation or the parliamentary arithmetic. Weeks spent tearing ourselves apart will only create more division just as we should be standing together to serve our country. None of that would be in the national interest.”

The opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said in response to May’s statement, “The time for dithering and delay is over. The Prime Minister has negotiated her deal. She has told us it is the best and only deal available.There can be no more excuses, no more running away. Put it before Parliament and let’s have the vote.”

Many Tory MPs have publicly voiced their support for May, and a majority have said they plan to vote for her to remain as the PM. According to the BBC, 174 Tory MPs have publicly said they will vote for her, with 34 publicly against.

But what would happen if May were to lose the vote? According to the BBC, May would be expected to serve as a caretaker prime minister until the party selects a new leader. If the party does not definitively decide on one replacement, Conservative MPs would hold a series of votes to narrow the candidate pool down to two people, who would then face a party vote.

In response to this news, the EU is reportedly preparing for a no-deal Brexit, citing the Conservative Party’s leadership challenge and uncertainty over when or if Parliament will vote on May’s Brexit plan.

Brooke Ivey Johnson is a Brooklyn based writer, playwright, and human woman. To read more of her work visit her blog or follow her twitter @BrookeIJohnson.

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