THERESA May has insisted she will see Brexit through to the end.

But that decision could be taken out of the Prime Minister’s hands with Tory colleagues likely to push for a vote of no confidence imminently.

Yesterday was a day of chaos and confusion in Westminster almost unprecedented in recent history, with six resignations from government, the pound plummeting, and threats of a coup.

The day started with Health Secretary Matt Hancock on the BBC’s Today programme refusing to deny that he had told Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting he “could not guarantee that people would not die” if no Brexit deal was agreed.

But before that could be fully digested Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab resigned from cabinet.

He said the “regulatory regime proposed for Northern Ireland”, where it will have a “deeper” relationship with Europe, and, effectively, be part of the single market, would present “a very real threat to the integrity of the United Kingdom”.

Raab also said he could not “support an indefinite backstop arrangement, where the EU holds a veto over our ability to exit”.

The Prime Minister reportedly tried to replace Raab with Brexiteer Michael Gove, but the Aberdonian, currently the Environment Secretary, said he would only take the job if he could re-negotiate May’s deal.

The Tory leader said no. Last night there were rumours that Gove was on the brink of resigning.

May will also have to find a replacement for Esther McVey, the Work and Pensions Secretary, who resigned soon after Raab.

May’s deal, she said, did not honour the result of the referendum: “We have gone from no deal is better than a bad deal, to any deal is better than no deal.”

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “I just hope that Esther McVey takes the travesty that is Universal Credit out the door with her.”

Raab and McVey’s resignations came just moments before May was due to deliver a statement to the House of Commons.

It was a brutal, lonely and awkward session. The Prime Minister was almost an hour into answering questions from MPs before anyone said anything supportive.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described the draft withdrawal agreement and the outlined political declaration as a “huge and damaging failure”.

Nigel Dodds, who is one of the 10 DUP MPs propping up May’s minority government, was furious.

He told MPs: “I could today stand here and take the Prime Minister through the list of promises and pledges she made to this house and to us, privately, about the future of Northern Ireland in the future relationship with the EU.

“But I fear it would be a waste of time since she clearly doesn’t listen.”

Former minister Mark Francois urged May to “accept the political reality of the situation” and said 84 Tory MPs opposed her deal.

It would not, he said, get through the Commons.

The SNP’s Lisa Cameron, a psychologist by training, said it was “clear to me today that the Prime Minister is in denial”.

“However pragmatically agreed this deal has been, it does not command a majority in this House,” Cameron added.

So miserable were the Brexit backing Tories at the prospect of May’s deal, there was reportedly a surge of letters to Graham Brady, the chair of the party’s committee of backbench MPs, calling for a leadership contest.

Under party rules, a vote of no confidence is called as soon as 48 Tory MPs send letters to Brady demanding a challenge.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the leave-backing European Research Group of Tory MPs, handed his letter over yesterday, and encouraged fellow Brexiteers to do the same.

Speaking outside Parliament, he denied he was attempting a “coup” against May, as a coup involved using “illegitimate procedures” to remove someone from office.

He was, he said, making use of party rules in an “entirely constitutional” way.

Rees-Mogg declined to name his preferred candidate for leader, but listed Boris Johnson, David Davis, Raab, McVey and Penny Mordaunt as potential candidates.

“You have streams of talent within the Conservative Party who would be very capable of leading a proper Brexit,” he claimed.

He said May backing Remain at the referendum was part of the problem.

“I recognise that compromises will need to be made but the difficulty with having a Remainer is that people feel the compromises are made in a Remain direction rather than a Leave direction.”

The chaos in Westminster saw the pound down 1.7% against the dollar and 1.9% against the euro.

May attempted to have the last word, organising a press conference in Downing Street. She acknowledged “that there are some who are unhappy” with the compromises in her Brexit deal, but insisted it delivered “what people voted for and it is in the national interest”.

She added: “I believe this is a deal which does deliver that, which is in the national interest, and am I going to see this through? Yes.”

May ended the conference comparing herself to former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott. Boycott, she said, had “stuck to it”.

“He got the runs in the end.”