The 1922 committee is a group you would have likely heard of if you have kept up with all the chaos that has engulfed the Conservative Party in the last year.

As chaos engulfs the Tory party, there have already been some MPs who have called Liz Truss to resign as Prime Minister.

Due to these circumstances, the 1922 committee could once again be involved in facilitating a transfer of power and arranging a new leadership contest, if Ms Truss was to resign.

How exactly have the 1922 committee come to have such influence and what exactly is their function?

York Press: Liz Truss has come under pressure in recent weeks (PA)Liz Truss has come under pressure in recent weeks (PA) (Image: PA)

What is the 1922 committee?

According to the UK Parliament website, the 1922 committee is "a committee of all backbench Conservative MPs that meets weekly when the Commons is sitting."

The existence of the group provides a way for backbenchers to discuss their views independently of frontbenchers.

Its chair is elected by committee members and holds a fair amount of influence within the Conservative party.

The main role of the committee is to the election of party leaders or any vote of confidence against the such party leader.

York Press: Sir Graham Brady is the chair of the 1922 committee (PA)Sir Graham Brady is the chair of the 1922 committee (PA) (Image: PA)

Additionally, they can change the rules on what needs to occur to cause a vote of confidence and when it can happen, currently, the threshold is 15% of MPs in the party writing a letter calling for such a vote.

Head of the 1922 committee

The current chairman of the committee is Sir Graham Brady.

Why is it called the 1922 committee?

You would think because of its name the committee was created in 1922, but it was actually formed in April 1923.

The name came about because it was following an initiative suggested by new Conservative MPs elected in the 1922 general election to "facilitate cooperation" within the party.