A close inter-party vote took place on Wednesday night.
Theresa May is still the leader of the Conservative party in Britain, having officially retained the overall confidence of the Tory party following a tense inter-party standoff on Wednesday.
Every Conservative MP voted in the Tory leadership election, with 317 secret ballot papers registered in total.
200 MPs voted to state that they retain confidence in May, while 117 voted against.
“Under the rules set out, no further confidence vote can take place for at least 12 months,” concluded Sir Graham Brady shortly after revealing the result at 9pm.
May received 63% of the vote, 3% less than John Major got in 1995, which resulted in a leadership contest as Prime Minister.
“A real blow to her authority,” noted the political commentary on BBC One immediately after the result was made official.
“It’s a terrible result for the Prime Minister,” said rival Jacob Rees-Mogg on the same broadcast, with his side having triggered the vote in the first place.
“Of course I accept this result, but the Prime Minister must realise that under all constitutional laws she must go and see the Queen and resign immediately,” Rees-Mogg stated.
“Clearly she doesn’t have the confidence of the House of Commons and she should make way for someone who does,” he added.
"A terrible result for the Prime Minister" says Jacob Rees Mogg of a 63%-37% margin, having repeatedly said 52-48 is the will of the people and cannot be overturned…
— Richard Chambers (@newschambers) December 12, 2018
Earlier on Wednesday, May told assembled MPs that she would stand down before the next UK general election, which is currently set for 2022.
May was unclear and non-committal on her stance in the event of a snap general election arising prior to that date.
In the wake of the result, Labour leader Jeremy Corybn issued the following statement:
“Tonight’s vote makes no difference to the lives of our people.
“The prime minister has lost her majority in parliament, her government is in chaos and she is unable to deliver a Brexit deal that works for the country and puts jobs and the economy first.
“That’s why she pulled the vote on her botched Brexit deal this week and is trying to avoid bringing it back to parliament. It’s clear that she has not been able to negotiate the necessary changes in Europe.
“She must now bring her dismal deal back to the House of Commons next week so parliament can take back control.
“Labour is ready to govern for the whole country and deliver a deal that protects living standards and workers’ rights,” Corbyn concluded.
Meanwhile, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar spoke with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday evening, with both inisisting that the Withdrawal Agreement “cannot be reopened or contradicted”.
Both agreed that the Withdrawal Agreement represents “a balanced compromise and the best outcome available”, according to a government spokesperson.
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