PRIME Minister Boris Johnson’s has survived an attempt by Tory MPs to oust him in a vote of confidence.

Conservative MPs voted by 211 to 148 in a secret ballot in Westminster, the 1922 chairman Sir Graham Brady has announced.

Rebels fell 32 votes short of the 180 votes required to oust the party leader.

It means that 40 per cent of his own party were prepared to have a leadership challenge, after a tumultuous two-and-a-half years since the landslide General Election in 2019.

Among them was Bishop Auckland MP Dehenna Davison, while fellow North East Tories Peter Gibson, Jacob Young and Simon Clarke remained loyal to their leader.

Miss Davison, who was elected in 2019, said: “This is not a decision I took lightly.

"I listened carefully to all sides, and particularly to the many constituents who contacted me sharing their thoughts and experiences.

“Weighing it all up, I voted against the Prime Minister tonight.”

Earlier this year Miss Davison denied being part of the so-called ‘Pork Pie Plot’, a conspiracy among rebels to oust Mr Johnson as leader of the party.

She said: “I hope that, whatever the result, we politicians can now fully focus on the things we were elected to do."

Kevan Jones, Labour MP for North Durham, said the result meant Mr Johnson should stand down.

He said: "With 40 per cent of his own MPs having no confidence in him Boris Johnson’s position is untenable. He should now resign." 

Before the vote Mr Johnson issued a late plea for support, warning that “pointless” internal warfare could see them turfed out of office.

He promised future tax cuts and highlighted his own record of electoral success as he sought to win over wavering MPs.

But with concern over the partygate scandal, economic policy, drifting opinion polls and Mr Johnson’s style of leadership, the Prime Minister faced a difficult task to persuade his doubters.

The ballot was triggered after at least 54 MPs – 15 per cent of the party’s representatives in the Commons – said they had no confidence in the Prime Minister.

Mr Johnson wrote to Tory MPs and addressed them at a private meeting in Westminster in the hours before voting began.

He told the meeting that “under my leadership” the party had won its biggest electoral victory in 40 years, and pledged future tax cuts, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak expected to say more in the coming weeks.

He warned them that Tory splits risked the “utter disaster” of Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour entering Downing Street, propped up by the SNP.

“The only way we will let that happen is if we were so foolish as to descend into some pointless fratricidal debate about the future of our party,” he said.

He told Tory MPs: “I understand the anxieties of people who have triggered this vote.

“I humbly submit to you that this is not the moment for a leisurely and entirely unforced domestic political drama and months and months of vacillation from the UK.”

Liz Truss and Michael Gove tweeted their support for Boris Johnson after his victory in confidence vote was announced.

The Foreign Secretary tweeted: “Pleased that colleagues have backed the Prime Minister.

“I support him 100 per cent. Now’s the time to get on with the job.”

The Housing Secretary said it is time to “focus on the people’s priorities” now that the Prime Minister has “secured” the trust of his MPs.

Mr Gove wrote: “The PM has secured the support of Conservative MPs – now we must carry out what we were elected to deliver – levelling up, cutting crime, securing the benefits of Brexit and improving public services.”

“Let’s get on with delivery and focus on the people’s priorities.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Johnson was “utterly unfit for the great office he holds” and accused Tory MPs of ignoring the British public.

He tweeted: “The choice is clearer than ever before: Divided Tories propping up Boris Johnson with no plan to tackle the issues you are facing, or a united Labour Party with a plan to fix the cost-of-living crisis and restore trust in politics."