Boris Johnson has clung on to power for at least another year after Tory rebels failed in their bid to oust the embattled Prime Minister.
In a crunch confidence vote this evening, Conservative MPs backed Mr Johnson by 211 to 148 votes. Despite fairing worse than Theresa May in her 2018 confidence vote, allies of the Prime Minister said he now intended to continue in office and "focus on the key issues facing both the UK and the world".
The vote came after a last ditch plea by Mr Johnson to keep his job, with backbenchers crammed in a small House of Commons room to hear the Prime Minister's pitch.
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Mr Johnson is understood to have told MPs: "The people in this room won the biggest electoral victory for the Conservatives for 40 years under my leadership and if you don’t believe that we can come back from our current position, and win again then you haven’t looked at my own record or the record of this party."
ChronicleLive has been told that Mr Johnson citied his "achievements" on Brexit and the vaccine rollout and said he was determined to deliver on the Government's levelling up agenda. He also warned them that Tory splits risked the “utter disaster” of Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour entering Downing Street, propped up by the SNP.
He signed off by telling MPs: "Let us refuse to dance to the tune of the media, let us refuse to gratify our opponents by turning in on ourselves. Let’s show this country that we understand that this is a moment to unite and to serve and if we can do that then believe you me whatever they may say about me I will lead you to victory again."
The ballot was triggered after at least 54 MPs – 15% of the party’s representatives in the Commons – said they had no confidence in the Prime Minister. The vote follows Sue Gray’s damning report into breaches of Covid regulations in Number 10 and Whitehall during lockdown.
The ballot is secret, but many MPs - including Blyth Valley's Ian Levy - declared their positions prior. Explaining his decision, Mr Levy said: "Whilst the Prime Minister has without doubt made mistakes, it is an indisputable fact that Boris Johnson has shown more interest in improving the lives of our residents than any Prime Minister in living memory.
"My support for the Prime Minister is not unquestioning. I have been dismayed with the culture in Downing Street during Covid, and I have made clear my desire to see things change but I do believe that the Prime Minister should be allowed to address this and to continue to deal with what really matters – getting people through the challenges we all face in the aftermath of Covid and Ukraine."
Hexham MP Guy Opperman added: "I believe Government should be focusing on the issues affecting our economy, the cost of living, and the necessity of ending the war in Ukraine. I do not believe the many months associated with leadership change helps that; I do not support colleagues undermining the PM.
"The PM has my support as we collectively address these issues post Covid."
Durham MP Richard Holden dismissed the whole row as "Westminster tittle-tattle", adding: "There is a real feeling with my constituents is what they want is all parts of the Government delivering for them and not banging on about things like this."
But Mr Holden's constituency neighbour Bishop Auckland MP Dehenna Davison disagreed, revealing on social media that "after much thought" she had decided to vote against the Prime Minister.
Conservative Party rules mean that another confidence vote cannot be held for at least a year.
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