Theresa May no-confidence vote - LIVE: Tory bid to dethrone PM fails yet Jacob Rees Mogg and hard-Brexit allies renew calls for her resignation

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Theresa May wins vote of no confidence by 200 to 117

Theresa May has won a vote of no confidence as the prime minister dashed the hopes of Brexiteer MPs to topple her.

Ms May was backed by 200 Tory MPs compared to 117 rebels who hoped to oust her, following the most dramatic 24 hours yet of the Brexit saga.

A secret ballot started at 6pm after the prime minister addressed the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers, telling them she will not lead the party into the 2022 election.

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Key Points

• Theresa May survives Tory no-confidence bid - but 117 MPs vote against her
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• Which Tory MPs are saying they were going to vote against Theresa May in secret ballot?
• Everything you need to know about a vote of no confidence

[12 December 2018 09:59 · Ashley Cowburn]

[12 December 2018 10:07 · Ashley Cowburn]

[12 December 2018 10:16 · Ashley Cowburn]

[12 December 2018 10:19 · Ashley Cowburn]

Former prime minister David Cameron has tweeted his support for Ms May ahead of the confidence vote. Not many will see this as particularly helpful for Ms May.

[12 December 2018 10:28 · Ashley Cowburn]

Conservative backbencher Michael Fabricant said: "I did not submit a letter to the 1922 and the timing of this vote is unfortunate as the Prime Minister has not completed her round of visits with EU leaders to resolve the Irish backstop question.

"I had already explained to the Prime Minister at the beginning of last week in a one-to-one that the Irish backstop causes the biggest problem for me. I hope she has found a solution or an alternative way forward. If not, the Government could fall anyway as Northern Irish DUP MPs have said they will no longer support the Government in the House of Commons.

"All these factors will be weighing in my mind when I cast my vote this evening."

[12 December 2018 10:32 · Ashley Cowburn]

James Cleverly - the deputy chair of the Conservative Party - says "I think this is an error - some of my colleagues have made a mistake". 

"I hope she wins this, I think she will win this," he said before adding he did not know if the PM had enough support to win the vote.

[12 December 2018 10:56 · Ashley Cowburn]

"The Prime Minister was very keen that the process should be concluded as quickly as reasonably possible," Sir Graham Brady told reporters on Wednesday morning.

"She will come at 5 o'clock this afternoon to speak to colleagues in the 1922 committee and then we will conduct the ballot immediately after that, between 6 and 8 o'clock, with a result announced as quickly as we are able.

"It was clear she was keen to have resolution. She wanted to have this process concluded as quickly as possible. I think you can take it she was keen to get on with business."

Sir Graham said it was "not a surprise" to reach the threshold given the months of "endless speculation".

[12 December 2018 11:00 · Ashley Cowburn]

This is quite the story from the Press Association:

As the UK remained gripped by Brexit chaos, American model and author Chrissy Teigen conveyed the thoughts of many Brits as she admitted that, try as she might, she doesn't understand it all.

Shortly after a no-confidence vote was announced on Theresa May's leadership of the Conservative Party, Teigen took to Twitter to say: "One of my goals for 2019 is to understand UK politics. I read and read and try and learn but my brain cannot grasp it."

Brits on social media clearly understood where she was coming from, with celebrities and political reporters confessing they were in the same boat.

Singer Myleene Klass replied to the original tweet, saying: "No-one gets it here either."

Comedian Sue Perkins had a similar response, telling Teigen: "Don't worry, we can't grasp it either..."

[12 December 2018 11:13 · Ashley Cowburn]

Theresa May has now left Downing Street to head for the Commons for prime minister's questions and hold meetings with MPs ahead of the crucial vote this evening. 

But as she heads there David Davis - her former Brexit secretary - has refused to say he'll be backing the prime minister in the no confidence motion. 

This is from The Times' Oliver Wright.

[12 December 2018 11:26 · Ashley Cowburn]

If you want a sense of the scale of acrimony within the Conservative Party right now, just watch this clip between the Tory MP Andrew Bridgen and the deputy chair of the party, James Cleverly. It's quite something.