Boris Johnson has survived a vote of no confidence by Conservative MPs tonight. 

Mr Johnson received 211 votes in confidence of his leadership and 148 with no confidence, making his majority 63 votes. 

The result comes as Matthew Barber, the Tory Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, told the BBC the Prime Minister ‘needs to step down’.

The PCC, who has previously been supportive of Mr Johnson, said the “road has run out for the Prime Minister”.

The Conservative MP for Witney and West Oxfordshire, on the other hand, tweeted his support for Mr Johnson this afternoon.

Robert Courts wrote: “The Prime Minister has my full support in today’s vote.

He led @Conservatives to a decisive election victory. He has been dealt a v. difficult hand but has got the big calls right: Covid, vaccines & supporting Ukraine.

“He’s apologised for mistakes made. We must now move forward.”

A total of 54 letters of no confidence from Tory MPs, 15 per cent of the parliamentary party, were needed to trigger the vote.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of backbench MPs, received a steady stream of letters in recent days as Tories spent time in their constituencies consulting local parties about their position.

He announced this morning that the threshold had been reached.

Tory MPs voted between 6pm and 8pm in Westminster, with the result announced at 9pm.

Members of opposing political parties made it clear they expected Mr Johnson to step down, regardless of the result.

Labour MP for Oxford East Anneliese Dodds has told the Oxford Mail her constituents are “fed up with Boris Johnson”.

She said: “Time after time when I was out and about in Oxford over the Jubilee weekend, people stopped me to say how fed up they were with Boris Johnson.

“They repeatedly told me that it wasn’t just the fact he’d presided over rules being repeatedly broken, but also his Conservative Government’s failures on the cost of living crisis.

“Tory MPs need to get a grip and get rid of their failing Prime Minister.”

Layla Moran, Lib Dem MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, said: “If Conservative MPs had the courage and decency to act months ago when the rest of the country all knew Boris Johnson had to go, then we wouldn’t be in this mess right now.”

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This story was written by Sophie Perry. She joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.

You can get in touch with her by emailing: sophie.perry@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry

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