Boris Johnson has survived a confidence vote from Conservative MPs who challenged his leadership as Prime Minister.

The secret ballot took place between 6pm and 8 pm on Monday with the final total being confirmed by 9pm.

MPs voted 211 in favour of the PM and 148 against so Mr Johnson will not be ousted from his role.

Under current rules, now that Mr Johnson has won a confidence vote, he cannot be challenged again for 12 months.

Daily Echo: Boris Johnson. Credit: PABoris Johnson. Credit: PA

Boris Johnson survives no-confidence vote from Tory MPs

The vote was triggered after 54 Tory MPs submitted letters of no confidence to the party's 1922 Committee.

It follows a steady stream of Tory MPs who publicly called for the Prime Minister to resign in the wake of Sue Gray’s report into breaches of the Covid regulations in No 10 and Whitehall.

No pictures were allowed to be taken inside the room during the confidence vote. 

This was an attempt to stop party whips from demanding evidence that MPs have supported the Prime Minister.

Daily Echo: Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee. Credit: PASir Graham Brady, the chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee. Credit: PA

Ahead of the vote, Downing Street said Boris Johnson “welcomes the opportunity to make his case to MPs”.

A No 10 spokesman added that Monday's vote was “a chance to end months of speculation and allow the Government to draw a line and move on”.

READ MORE: Sue Gray Report: Read the report in full about Boris Johnson party allegations

READ MORE: Vote of no confidence: Who is Sir Graham Brady?

The last vote of no confidence was against Theresa May in 2018.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, gathered MPs and journalists together to announce the result of the vote in a similar fashion to Monday evening.

A message from the Editor

Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.

Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.

You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.

Don't take my word for it - subscribe here to see for yourself.

Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by joining our Facebook group - Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents

Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated Facebook group - Hampshire Court and Crime News