Theresa May survived a confidence vote last night after telling her MPs she will not lead the Conservative Party into the next general election.
The secret ballot was triggered by backbenchers after the prime minister deferred putting her EU withdrawal agreement before the Commons to avert almost certain defeat.
Many of her own MPs oppose the deal, which includes a backstop guarantee to maintain an open Irish border that is strongly opposed by the DUP.
Mrs May won the support of 200 of her MPs but a sizeable minority of 117 voted against – leaving her in a significantly weakened position.
Speaking outside 10 Downing Street, she said she will seek “legal and political assurances” from EU leaders on MPs’ concerns to get her deal through Westminster.
DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said his party was still concerned about the backstop plan but would not support a no-confidence motion in parliament at this stage. Leader Arlene Foster, who met Mrs May shortly before the vote, said “tinkering around the edges” would not be enough to win her party’s support.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker spoke by telephone last night and said the withdrawal agreement “cannot be reopened”.
An Irish government spokesman said that “both agreed that the withdrawal agreement is a balanced compromise and the best outcome available... the agreement cannot be reopened or contradicted”.
