Oust-May bid fails

PM survives no-confidence ‘Brexit’ vote

British Prime Minister Theresa May — who earlier Wednesday said she would not run in the next general election — survived a noconfidence vote by her own Conservative Party that would have forced her to step down.

A loud cheer erupted among members of Parliament, as Graham Brady, chair of the backbench 1922 Committee, a Conservative strategy group, made the announcement.

“The result of the ballot held this evening is that the parliamentary party does have confidence in Theresa May,” Brady said.

Some MPs banged tables and cheered — but others pressed her on when she would resign.

“Stamina is not a strategy,” said North East Derbyshire MP Lee Rowley, a frequent May critic.

“This government is a farce, the Tory party is in chaos, the prime minister is a disgrace,” said Scottish National Party leader Ian Blackford during a Prime Minister’s Questions session in the House of Commons.

While May (below) avoided an embarrassing defeat, 117 of her own party’s lawmakers said she was no longer the right leader to implement Britain’s exit from the European Union, while 200 voted for her.

Her leadership cannot be challenged again for a year.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, who led calls for thee no-confidence vote, said it was a “terrible result for the prime minister” and called on her to quit. May on Monday canceled a parliamentary vote on Brexit, which is designed to maintain close future ties with the EU, after it became clear she would lose it. Eurosceptic critics of the deal within her own party triggered the no-confidence vote hours after she returned Tuesday from talks with European leaders aimed at winning additional assurances bout her deal. May had warned opponents of her Brexit deal — struck after two years of negotiations — that if they toppled her it would be delayed or stopped.

Shortly before the vote, May sought to win over wavering lawmakers by promising to step down before the next scheduled election in May 2022.

She did not say what she would do if an early election was called.

Brexit is Britain’s most significant political and economic decision since World War II.

Pro-Europeans fear the departure will weaken the West as it grapples with the presidency of Donald Trump and growing assertiveness from Russia and China.

May, the 62-year-old daughter of a Church of England pastor, won the top job in the turmoil that followed the 2016 EU referendum.

She promised to implement Brexit, while keeping close ties to the bloc, to heal a divided nation.