Theresa May survived an attempt to oust her as U.K. prime minister on Wednesday, but the size of the rebellion against her weakens her position at a critical time as she tries to steer the U.K. out of the European Union.
May won a vote of confidence in her leadership of the Conservative Party, with Tory members of Parliament backing her by 200 to 117 in the secret ballot.
While the result means May’s enemies can’t try again to oust her as party leader for at least a year, it also shows that more than one in three of her own colleagues do not want her to be prime minister. The pound, which had risen in advance of the vote, pared gains.
“Whilst I’m grateful for that support, a significant number of colleagues did cast a vote against me, and I’ve listened to what they’ve said,” May told television cameras outside her 10 Downing Street office.
In an emotional concession during a private meeting with her critics, she said she knew deep down she would not be leading them into the next election in 2022, according to people in the room. Her plea was to be allowed to steer the U.K. through Brexit.
Theresa May on Dec. 12. Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
“She said that in her heart she’d love to fight the next election, but she knows that she can’t,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock told Sky News. “She was quite emotional about that.” Another Cabinet minister, who declined to be named, said May’s gambit was a necessary compromise to reassure her critics that she won’t go on and on as leader.
While the question over May’s immediate future is now settled, it is likely to be only a temporary reprieve for the embattled premier.
She is facing hardened opposition in Parliament to the Brexit agreement she negotiated with the European Union, and her attempts to get better terms have so far fallen flat.
Still Against Her
“It doesn’t matter that she’s won,” said pro-Brexit Tory Marcus Fysh. “She can’t command the DUP and that leads to a vote of confidence in the government, a near-term general election,” he said, referring to the smaller Northern Irish party that props up May’s government. “We’re not going to back her deal, so in practice she can’t carry on,” Fysh said.
If May cannot get her exit terms through Parliament, the U.K. will be on course for a no-deal Brexit, risking economic and political upheaval.
Bloomberg