Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May: 'We now need to get on with the job of delivering Brexit'

Prime Minister Theresa May has won a vote of confidence in her leadership of the Conservative Party by 200 to 117.

After securing 63% of the total vote, she is now immune from a leadership challenge for a year.

Speaking in Downing Street, she vowed to deliver the Brexit "people voted for" but said she had listened to the concerns of MPs who voted against her.

Her supporters urged the party to move on but critics said losing the support of a third of MPs was "devastating".

The prime minister won the confidence vote with a majority of 83, with 63% of Conservative MPs backing her and 37% voting against her.

The secret ballot was triggered by 48 of her MPs angry at her Brexit policy, which they say betrays the 2016 referendum result.

The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg said the level of opposition was "not at all comfortable" for the prime minister and a "real blow" to her authority.

Speaking shortly after the result was announced, Mrs May said she would be fighting for changes to her Brexit deal at an EU 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."

She spoke of a "renewed mission - delivering the Brexit people voted for, bringing the country back together and building a country that really works for everyone".

How have Conservative MPs reacted?

Jacob Rees-Mogg, who led calls for the confidence vote, said losing the support of a third of her MPs was a "terrible result for the prime minister" and called on her to resign.

Brexit-backing Tory MP Mark Francois told the BBC it was "devastating" that more than half of 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. I think that will be very sobering for the prime minister. I think she needs to think very carefully about what she does now."

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, announces May survive confidence vote

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling conceded there were "lessons" for the prime minister and the party in the result but former cabinet minister Damian Green said it was a "decisive" victory for the prime minister, which should allow her to "move on and get on with the job in hand".

Conservative grandee Nicholas Soames urged Brexiteers to "throw their weight" behind the PM as she sought to address the "grave concerns" many MPs had about aspects of the EU deal.

The result was greeted by cheers and applause from Tory MPs as it was announced by backbench Tory chairman Sir Graham Brady.

The prime minister still faces a battle to get the Brexit deal she agreed with the EU through the UK Parliament, with all opposition parties and, clearly, dozens of her own MPs against it.

What are the opposition saying?

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."

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May: How the PM fought through Brexit battles

Labour has said it will table a no-confidence motion that all MPs - not just Conservatives - will be able to vote in when they felt they had a chance of winning it, and forcing a general election.

The SNP's Stephen Gethins urged Labour to "step up to the plate" and call a vote of no confidence in Mrs May, accusing the government of "playing games with people's lives".

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said his party, which helps keep Mrs May in power, was still concerned about the Irish backstop plan, which most MPs were against.

"I don't think this vote really changes anything very much in terms of the arithmetic," he told BBC News.

But he said the DUP would not support a no-confidence motion in Parliament at this stage.

PM pledges not to fight next election

Mrs May earlier vowed to fight on to deliver her Brexit deal, which she argues is the only option for leaving the EU in an orderly way on 29 March.

But in a last-minute pitch to her MPs before the vote she promised to stand down as leader before the next scheduled election in 2022.

While "in her heart" she wanted to fight another election as leader, she realised her party did not want her to. However, she resisted calls to name a firm date for her departure.

If she had lost the confidence vote Mrs May would have been forced to stand down as Conservative Party leader, and then as prime minister.

But she is now expected to travel to a summit in Brussels on Thursday to continue trying to persuade EU leaders to change the deal - they have previously said it cannot be renegotiated.

The outcome of the vote was welcomed by Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who said avoiding a no-deal exit from the EU was their "shared goal".</s>British Prime Minister Theresa May Faces No Confidence Vote From Her Party

Theresa May is fighting to keep her job as members of her party seek to oust her in a no-confidence vote. This comes in the wake of her failed efforts to win support for Brexit plan.</s>Theresa May wins leadership challenge after vowing to fight efforts to oust her.

Theresa May wins leadership challenge after vowing to fight efforts to oust her.

BRITISH Prime Minister Theresa May has won a confidence vote against her after vowing to fight efforts to oust her from the job.

The party room erupted in cheers when Conservative party chairman Graham Brady declared the party "does have confidence in Theresa May as leader". Ms May won the vote 200-117.

Earlier Ms May warned outside 10 Downing St that a change of Prime Minister would put the UK's future at risk and could halt Brexit.

She declared she would stay on to "finish the job," but later told Tory MPs that she would not be leading the Conservative party into the next general election.

Three black metal boxes were taken to a room for counting after Conservative politicians spent two hours voting earlier today.

The more than 300 paper ballots they cast were counted by hand.

Ms May needed a majority vote to hold onto her position as prime minister and Conservative Party leader.

Earlier, at least 175 Conservative Party politicians indicated support for Ms May as they headed into the vote, based on public statements in the media and social media.

Ms May needed to secure a simple majority - 158 of 315 politicians - to remain leader.

In a dramatic development Ms May said she would stand down before the next election, after she has steered Brexit through.

"In my heart I would like to lead the party into the next election, but I accept that won't happen," she said.

Some ministers were reportedly in tears after the PM's announcement.

Ms May refused to put an exact date on when she will stand down despite calls for her to go as soon as Britain formally leaves the EU.

In a defiant press conference outside 10 Downing Street, Ms May said changing Conservative leaders would "put our country's future at risk and create uncertainty when we can least afford it" and could lead to Brexit being delayed or prevented.

"Weeks spent tearing ourselves apart will only create more division," the PM said, warning that leadership challenge threatens to hand power to Labour.

The PM said any new leader would have to extend the March 29 deadline for Britain's exit from the European Union.

"A new leader wouldn't be in place by the January 21 legal deadline, so a leadership election risks handing control of the Brexit negotiations to opposition MPs in parliament," Ms May said.

"A new leader wouldn't have time to renegotiate a withdrawal agreement and get the legislation through parliament by March 29, so one of their first acts would have to be extending or rescinding Article 50, delaying or even stopping Brexit when people want us to get on with it."</s>Theresa May has survived the vote of no confidence against her.

The result, announced in the last couple of minutes, was 200 in her favour, to 117 against.</s>LONDON– British Prime Minister Theresa May has won a confidence vote by Conservative Party lawmakers that could have brought her leadership to an abrupt end.

In secret ballot on Wednesday, 200 lawmakers backed May and 117 voted against her.

The result means May can keep her positions as party leader and prime minister while continuing an uphill battle to win parliamentary approval for her Brexit plan.

Her victory means fellow Conservatives cannot challenge her for another year.

May could still face a challenge in Parliament if the opposition Labour Party seeks a confidence vote in the House of Commons over the EU divorce plan.

She plans to lobby European Union leaders for changes to the proposed divorce deal, which is unpopular with many lawmakers.</s>Conservative Party MPs in Britain began two hours of voting Wednesday on a no-confidence motion in Prime Minister Theresa May, initiated by anti-EU lawmakers opposed to her Brexit plan.

The British leader, who earlier vowed to fight "with everything I've got", needs a majority of her MPs -- 159 -- to back her in the vote to remain in Downing Street. The result is expected around 9:00 pm (2100 GMT).</s>(LONDON) — Conservative lawmakers in Britain will hold a no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday that will see her removed as party and government leader if she loses.

Graham Brady, who heads a committee overseeing Conservative leadership contests, said he had received letters from at least 48 lawmakers asking for a vote.

As a result, he said, “the threshold of 15 percent of the parliamentary party seeking a vote of confidence in the leader of the Conservative Party has been exceeded.”

Brady said the vote would be held in Parliament Wednesday evening, with the results announced soon after.

The announcement throws Britain’s already rocky path out of the European Union, which it is due to leave in March, into further chaos.

Many Tory lawmakers have been growing angry with May over her handling of Brexit, and the challenge comes days after she postponed a vote to approve a divorce deal with the EU to avoid all-but-certain defeat.

If she loses the confidence vote, May must step down and there will be a contest to choose a new leader. She will remain leader, and prime minister, until the successor is picked.

If she wins, she can’t be challenged again for a year.

Supporters of Brexit say May’s deal fails to deliver on the clean break with the bloc that they want.

Pro-Brexit legislators Jacob Rees-Mogg and Steve Baker said in a joint statement that “in the national interest, she must go.”

But Cabinet colleagues rallied to May’s support. Home Secretary Sajid Javid tweeted that a leadership contest, with Brexit little more than three months away, “will be seen as self-indulgent and wrong. PM has my full support and is best person to ensure we leave EU on 29 March.”</s>Prime Minister and Conservative leader Theresa May is tonight facing a vote of no confidence.

It comes after Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, confirmed he had received the 48 letters of no confidence from Tory MPs required to trigger a ballot on the leadership.

However the Prime Minister has vowed to fight an effort to oust her as Conservative leader and Prime Minister "with everything I've got".

In a dramatic early morning statement outside the door to 10 Downing Street, Mrs May warned a change of Prime Minister would put the UK's future at risk and could delay or halt Brexit.

She insisted she would stay on to "finish the job" she has set herself as Prime Minister - but later announced she would not lead the party into the next general election.

The vote will take place between 6pm and 8pm on Wednesday, with the result announced soon afterwards.

Mrs May needs to secure the votes of 158 MPs - half the parliamentary party plus one - to remain as Conservative leader, though a vote of 100 or more against her will raise questions about whether she can continue.

If she wins, another challenge cannot be mounted against her position as Tory leader for a year.

Follow the latest updates from the ballot and results announcement in our blog below</s>Two local Conservative MPs have publicly declared their support for Theresa May ahead of this evening’s (Wednesday) vote of confidence in her leadership.

Victoria Atkins MP (Louth & Horncastle) and Matt Warman MP (Boston & Skegness) both declared their support for the Prime Minister this morning, shortly after it was revealed that the required number of letters had been sent in to Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the Conservative Party’s 1922 Committee, to trigger the vote.

Ms Atkins said: “At this critical time in our nation’s history, the Prime Minister has my full support to serve in the interest of my constituents and country.”

Meanwhile, Mr Warman tweeted: “Tonight I’ll vote to support Theresa May, the most steadfast, resilient Prime Minister.

“Today the country deserves better than a self-involved Conservative Party.”

If Theresa May wins tonight’s secret ballot of Conservative MPs, then she will remain party leader and she will be immune from any further leadership challenge for the next 12 months.

However, if she loses the vote, then the party will launch a leadership contest to replace her.
• More on this story as we have it.</s>The SNP have scrapped plans to put down a motion of no confidence in Theresa May's government according to reports in The National.

The party had said they would file a motion of no confidence but plans have been dropped amid fears that such a move could backfire.

Prior to Theresa May's confidence vote, Ian Blackford had urged Jeremy Corbyn to issues a notice of no confidence, stating that if not, the SNP would file instead.

READ MORE: Ian Blackford calls for Theresa May to resign at PMQs

According to reports however, the SNP will only file such a deal if Theresa May returns from the European Council summit without any major changes in her deal. The SNP have admitted that they are closely monitoring the situation, but fear that following a victory for Mrs May last night, they fear she could also win a confidence vote in the Commons.

A source told The National: “The situation is being kept under review.

“We are not doing anything today. The focus is on what the Tories do. So we’ll see what happens next.”

“The Tories were spinning it and trying to make out the vote would be close. But there was a feeling it was never going to be close.

“People I spoke to were saying the number of votes against her would be between 70 and 100 tops.

READ MORE: SNP gives Jeremy Corbyn until end of day to file no-confidence motion

“The Tories will spin this as a surprise result – that she did far better than expected. A great result for them. The story hitting the front pages will be that she is sent off to Brussels having crushed the dissenters in her party.

“Our focus now is to shift to Monday when she comes back. So if she comes back from Brussels with nothing or with some changes but nothing of substance, it could be game on again.”

According to rules in parliament, a minority party can table a motion of no confidence in the government, but it wouldn't take precedent over government business.

Labour are understood to be considering putting down such a motion, but are waiting until the Prime Minister returns from Brussels before any action will be considered.

The article originally appeared in our sister paper, The National
By a vote of 200 to 117, British Prime Minister Theresa May survives a motion of no confidence within the Conservative Party.