The Prime Minister Theresa May has had her authority as the leader of the Conservative Party shattered after 117 of her own Tory MPs voted against her in a crucial internal vote of confidence held tonight.
Whilst Theresa May managed to cling on to her leadership by gaining the support of exactly 200 of her MPs – most of whom are thought to be either Ministers or on the government payroll as Ministerial aides – more than a third of the party’s MPs voted to oust her as leader.
The startling figures show that 37% of the entire Conservative Parliamentary Party does not have confidence in her leadership, gaining a winning margin of just 87 MPs.
As the results were announced by the Chair of the 1922 Committee, audible gasps were heard from Tory MPs within the room when the figure of votes cast against the Prime Minister was read out.
Following the result, the Prime Minister will be allowed to stay in her Prime Ministerial post for the time being, but the slim margin of victory will do nothing to diminish the negativity felt within the party against the direction of the party under her leadership.
Tory MPs will now not be allowed to challenge her leadership via another internal confidence vote for another year. However, the Prime Minister can still be challenged via a parliamentary vote of confidence.
The Labour Party have already indicated they will table a Parliamentary motion of confidence against the Prime Minister when after MPs after finally given the chance to vote down her widely-criticised Brexit deal in parliament.
Furthermore, having only lost by a slim margin in their bid to oust their own leader tonight, those on the right of the Conservative Party may now be willing to support the opposition in such a Parliamentary motion of confidence against the Prime Minister.
The next few days will surely now determine the fate of an increasingly weakened Prime Minister.
