Theresa May confidence vote: PM hangs on but risks being a 'lame duck' leader
Theresa May has clung on as Prime Minister but risks being a "lame duck" leader after revealing to her MPs that she does not attend to lead them into the next election.
The Prime Minister saw off an attempt by rebel backbenchers to oust her as Tory leader and PM as she faced a confidence vote in her leadership.
The leadership contest the Prime Minister battled for months to avoid finally caught up with her today, after Sir Graham Brady revealed he had received the 48 letters to trigger a ballot.
Although Mrs May has now won immunity from any further leadership challenge for another year, she risks turning into a lame duck PM, her critics said.
Mrs May admitted to MPs before voting that she would not put herself forward in the next election if she won and that she only wanted to stay on to steer Brexit.
It has long been a political convention that prime ministers do not announce retirement plans in advance, for fear that the remainder of their term in office will be dominated by speculation over their successor.
Although clinching a win, attention can now be expected to focus on whether senior Tories are preparing for a bid for leadership.
After Mrs May told the Tories she would not lead them into an election in 2022, Labour MPs immediately seized on her announcement to suggest she could no longer stay at 10 Downing Street.
Former minister David Hanson said: “Even if she wins, this duck is lame.”
And Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins said Mrs May was "safe for another year" only.
Tony Blair broke the taboo in 2006 when he announced he would quit within a year, after coming under intense pressure from his chancellor and rival Gordon Brown to hand over the reins of power.
In fact, the Labour PM lasted only another nine months, having faced continued pressure from media and politicians to name a precise date for his departure.
David Cameron declared just weeks before the 2015 general election that he would not seek a third term if re-elected as Conservative prime minister.
The shock announcement sparked immediate speculation about exactly when he would quit and whether he would give a successor time to establish him or herself before the next poll, which was then expected to come in 2020.
In the event he did not have a chance to quit at a time of his choosing, instead resigning on the morning after losing the 2016 EU referendum.
Additional reporting by Press Association
