British Prime Minister wins confidence vote

By Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Luke McGee and Rob Picheta, CNN

Updated 2234 GMT (0634 HKT) December 12, 2018
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4:30 p.m. ET, December 12, 2018

JUST IN: The Conservative Party votes in favor of Theresa May 200 vs. 117

From CNN's Blathnaid Healy and Luke McGee

British Prime Minister Theresa May returns to Downing Street after the Confidence Vote in her leadership on Dec. 12, 2018 in London, England.
British Prime Minister Theresa May returns to Downing Street after the Confidence Vote in her leadership on Dec. 12, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

UK Prime Minister Theresa May has survived a vote of no-confidence triggered by members of her own party over her handling of Brexit.

The results were announced by Graham Brady, a member of parliament who chairs the 1922 Committee, which represents Conservative lawmakers in the House of Commons.

The vote was 200 vs. 117.

Voting by secret ballot began at 6 p.m. local time (that's 1 p.m. ET) after May made her final pitch to lawmakers promising them she wouldn't fight the next general election in 2022.

A pro-May MP told CNN the Prime Minister "got a real grilling, but overall solid support" as she made her case to MPs.

Wednesday's no-confidence vote could not have come at a worse time for May, who had been criss-crossing Europe to beg EU leaders for help passing her Brexit deal through UK Parliament.

May was forced to postpone a vote on the deal on Monday when it became clear her bill would face a humiliating defeat.

It buys her time: The Prime Minister's victory protects her from another leadership challenge from within her own party for 12 months.

But the result will not offer any assurances to the Prime Minister's supporters that she is able to get her all-important Brexit deal through the UK's Parliament.

3:58 p.m. ET, December 12, 2018

The chairman of the 1922 Committee will announce the results. Here's who he is.

Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee, is expected to soon deliver the results of the no-confidence vote. Conservative Party members voted behind closed doors earlier today on Prime Minister Theresa May's leadership ability.

The 1922 Committee represents rank-and-file Conservative Members of Parliament in the House of Commons. The group has the power to unseat the leader of their party.

Letters to the committee is what started this whole voting process: A vote was scheduled after 48 Conservative Members of Parliament — that's 15% of them — submitted letters to the committee demanding a ballot.

3:58 p.m. ET, December 12, 2018

This is the scene inside the room where the results will be announced

Conservative member of Parliament Robert Halfron just tweeted a photo from inside Committee Room 14, where other members of his party have gathered to hear the results of the vote of no-confidence.

Here's what it looks like:

3:11 p.m. ET, December 12, 2018

The voting window has closed

It's just after 3 p.m. ET, which means the no-confidence vote has closed.

The vote — where Conservative Party members vote that they either have faith or do not have faith in party leader and British Prime Minister Theresa May — was done by secret ballot.

If she loses the no-confidence vote she'll be out as the Conservative leader, and she'll likely outline when she will stand down as UK Prime Minister.

We'll update you here as soon as we know the results.

2:45 p.m. ET, December 12, 2018

This is what the ballot looks like

The 317 Conservative members of British Parliament are currently voting on Prime Minister Theresa May's leadership.

One of those MPs, Sarah Wollaston, just tweeted out a photo of the ballot.

There are two choices:

  • I HAVE confidence in Theresa May as Leader of the Conservative Party
  • I DO NOT HAVE confidence in Theresa May as Leader of the Conservative Party

Here's what it looks like:

2:31 p.m. ET, December 12, 2018

Arch-Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg won't run for party leader if May loses

From CNN's Luke McGee in London

(AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
(AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Arch-Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg has said that he would not stand for Conservative Party leader if Prime Minister Theresa May loses the confidence vote Wednesday.

Rees-Mogg, who has significant support in the grassroots membership of the Conservative Party, has been a vocal critic of May and has been one of the names touted as a potential successor to May as party leader.

2:21 p.m. ET, December 12, 2018

Theresa May is facing a vote of no-confidence. This is how we got here.

(OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images)
(OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images)

Conservative Party members in British Parliament are voting right now on their faith in Prime Minister Theresa May. Voting — which is done by secret ballot — closes at 3 p.m. ET. We expect to learn the results not too long after that.

If she loses the no-confidence vote she'll be out as the Conservative leader, and she'll likely outline when she will stand down as UK Prime Minister.

How we got here: The vote was triggered after at least 48 Conservative Members of Parliament — that's 15% of them — submitted letters demanding a vote.

What happens now: May needs a majority of Conservative members to stay in power. The magic number is 159. If she gets that many votes, she won't face another challenge for a year.

Here's a handy flowchart of how this process works:

1:12 p.m. ET, December 12, 2018

Theresa May tells lawmakers she won't fight next election: sources

From CNN's Luke McGee and Nina Dos Santos in London

Ahead of tonight's crucial confidence vote, British Prime Minister Theresa May has told Conservative MPs she will “not fight” the next general election in 2022, a lawmaker in the meeting told CNN. 

May was making a final pitch to MPs to salvage her premiership in a behind-closed-doors meeting, before they started voting in a secret ballot which began at 6 p.m. (1 p.m. ET).

The Prime Minister “got a real grilling, but overall solid support” as she made her case, a separate pro-May lawmaker told CNN. The MP also confirmed that May promised she would not run again in the next general election.

The UK is scheduled to go to the polls next in 2022, but a snap election could still be called before then.

12:34 p.m. ET, December 12, 2018

“I thought Thatcher was bad enough but this one is worse”

By Katie Polglase, CNN

While chaos swirls in Westminster, British people have been reacting with concern, anger and a healthy dose of apathy to the latest developments in the Conservative Party.

Residents in Prime Minister Theresa May’s constituency of Maidenhead have been giving CNN their views on the political drama.

“I thought Thatcher was bad enough but this one is worse,” Valeria Williams said. “At least Thatcher when she made a decision, she stayed with it, but this one, she changes her mind every day.”

Dinesh Patel was more forgiving. “I think it’s hard, it’s a difficult time for us right now. Hopefully the whole Parliament will support her to go through it,” he said.

And he warned that a general election or second referendum may not ease divisions. “I think it’s a whole hassle to go through the election again. People may change their opinion because now everybody has better information about Brexit but potentially there’s also an option where we may have the same 50-50,” he said.

A more brutal take came from Tony, who declined to give his surname.

“Couldn’t care less,” he said of the outcome of the vote tonight, calling May and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn “idiots.”

“Best possible is that they all jump in the Thames and that’s the last we see of them all, but that’s unlikely to happen,” he added.

Watch their interviews below: