Is Alberta Premier Alison Redford’s job on the line?

It wasn't too long ago that Alberta Premier Alison Redford earned the full confidence of her party's faithful.

At a Progressive Conservative leadership review last November, she got 77 per cent support.

But in politics things change quickly.

On Wednesday, Alberta MLA Len Webber — who is seeking the federal Conservative nomination in Calgary-Confederation — announced that he's leaving the PC caucus to sit as an independent and will encourage others to join him.

"I will sit as an independent. Because the things that the premier has been doing the last little while — actually for quite for some time — has really affected me in a negative way. I cannot continue ... with her as the leader of the party," the MLA for Calgary-Foothills said, according to the Calgary Herald.

"My father worked for Peter Lougheed and the PC party is like family. But I hate to see what is happening with the party and with the government."

On Thursday, Webber continued his attacks telling reporters that the premier is "not a nice lady."

[ Related: Premier Alison Redford repays $45K cost of South Africa trip ]

Redford has been under fire of late for government spending and her personal travel expenses — in particular, a $45,000 bill for her and her assistant to fly to South Africa for Nelson Mandela's funeral.

On Wednesday, she finally agreed to repay that money.

"As I reflect on what today means to me, I have also reflected on the discussions I’ve had with my caucus, party members and literally hundreds of hard-working Albertans who were never shy from saying hello and offering their advice from Costco to my local Safeway – over the past few weeks," she wrote on her blog.

"When it comes to the costs of the South Africa trip, I’ve heard strong opinions on both sides of the issue. My job as leader is to listen to Albertans and make the best decisions I possibly can. As we have seen over the past couple of weeks, this issue has been a distraction from the important work Albertans elected us to do. And I don’t minimize that."

It's unclear whether her mea-culpa on the South African trip will silence her critics within the party. Redford also has to deal with other questionable taxpayer funded travel expenses including a flight to a PC party fundraiser in October.

Sources have told the Herald that up to 25 MLAs have been "contemplating making a move against the premier."

[ Related: Alberta school shouldn’t shield students from rowdy MLAs during legislature visits ]

And while it might seem counterintuitive, the Calgary Sun's Rick Bell writes that opposition leader Danielle Smith is one person who probably doesn't want Redford to lose her job.

"The opposition [Wildrose Party] is not stupid. They know how it works in Alberta," Bell wrote earlier this week.

"In the past, if a Tory leader hit the road, that was it. The Tory party would undergo a makeover with no scars, all political sins absolved.

"None of the dirt, the waste, the mismanagement ever really attaches to Toryland."

The latest Leger poll had the Wildrose at 38 per cent support compared to the Tories at 25 per cent.

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