Re: Brexiteers tear apart 'sell out' free trade area plan
Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2018 10:30 pm
Theresa May survives confidence vote
Prime Minister Theresa May has won a vote of confidence in her leadership of the Conservative Party by 200 to 117.
Mrs May is now immune from a leadership challenge for a year.
But the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg said the result was "not at all comfortable" for the prime minister and a "real blow" to her authority.
Mrs May won the confidence vote with a majority of 83, with 63% of Conservative MPs backing her and 37% voting against her.
The confidence vote was triggered by 48 of her MPs angry at her Brexit policy, which they say betrays the 2016 referendum result.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, who led calls for the confidence vote, said it was a "terrible result for the prime minister" and called on her to resign.
Cabinet minister Chris Grayling said: "This has hardly been a joyful day for the Conservative Party but it has voted very comfortably that it wants her to stay, wants her to take us through Brexit."
The result was greeted by cheers and applause from Tory MPs as it was announced by backbench Tory chairman Sir Graham Brady.