United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday won a vote of confidence after the MPs of her Conservative Party supported her 200 votes to 117, the BBC reported. May will not face a leadership challenge for a year.
The vote was held days after 48 of her party’s MPs called for a secret ballot, expressing disapproval for the prime minister’s Brexit policy and accused her government of betraying the 2016 referendum result.
Before the vote, the prime minister promised to stand down as the party leader before the next election in 2022. If she had lost the vote, May would have been forced to resign as both Conservative Party leader and as the prime minister.
Speaking after the vote, May said she would continue to fight for changes to the Brexit deal at a European Union summit on Thursday. “I am pleased to have received the backing of my colleagues in tonight’s ballot,” she said. “Whilst I am grateful for that support, a significant number of colleagues did cast a vote against me and I have listened to what they said.”
May said she would be on a “renewed mission – delivering the Brexit people voted for, bringing the country back together and building a country that really works for everyone”.
MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, who led calls for the confidence vote, asked May to resign and said it was a “terrible result for the prime minister”.
Parliamentarian Mark Francois said it was devastating that more than half of the backbenchers not serving in the government had abandoned the prime minister. “In the cold light of day when people reflect on that number – 117 – it’s a massive number, far more than anyone was predicting,” he said. “I think that will be very sobering for the prime minister. I think she needs to think very carefully about what she does now.”
May “recognises a lot of people are not comfortable with her leading us into a future general election”, The Guardian quoted the party deputy chair James Cleverly as saying.
Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the vote had changed nothing. “Theresa May has lost her majority in Parliament, her government is in chaos and she’s unable to deliver a Brexit deal that works for the country,” he told reporters.
The Labour Party said it would table a no-confidence motion that all MPs, not just the Conservatives, would be allowed to vote on when they feel they have a chance of winning it.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!