BORIS Johnson has narrowly won a vote of no confidence in his leadership, but in a bruising and divisive battle, the Prime Minister managed to lose the support of 41 per cent of his MPs.

He needed 180 votes to survive, in the end, he received 211.

However, 148 of his own MPs said they did not have confidence in him, far more than the 133 MPs who voted against Theresa May in 2018.

The Prime Minister insisted it was an “extremely good, positive, conclusive, decisive result".

Speaking to reporters in No 10, he said it would allow the party "to move on, to unite and to focus on delivery and that is exactly what we are going to do.”

He ruled out a snap election in order to gain a new mandate from the public, insisting he was focused on the public’s priorities.

The Prime Minister said: “I see no point in focusing on anything else and I’m certainly not interested in snap elections. What I’m interested in is delivering right now for the people of this country.”

Speaking to Sky News, Education secretary Nadhim Zahawi said he hoped the result would "draw a line on this now."

He denied that the Prime Minister was fatally wounded. "It's a ballot. Fifty plus one is a majority. Boris did much better than that."

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the result was "surely the worst of all worlds for the Tories."

She added: "But much more importantly: at a time of huge challenge, it saddles the UK with an utterly lame duck PM. And for Scotland, it just underlines the democratic deficit - only 2 of 59 Scottish MPs have confidence in the PM."

Sir Keir Starmer said the Tory party now believed that the “British public have no right to expect honest politicians.”

He said it was “grotesque” that Tory MPs had chosen to back Mr Johnson’s leadership.

In a statement after the result, Sir Keir said the British public was “fed up with a Prime Minister who's presided over a culture of lies and law-breaking at the heart of government”

Mr Johnson was, he was added, “utterly unfit for the great office that he holds.”

Sir Keir said: “Conservative MPs made their choice tonight. They have ignored the British public and hitched themselves and their party firmly to Boris Johnson, and everything that he represents. 

“The Conservative party now believes that good government focused on improving lives is too much to ask. The Conservative government now believes that breaking the law is no impediment to making the law. The Conservative party now believes that the British public have no right to expect honest politicians.”

The opposition leader contrasted Mr Johnson’s leadership with the Queen’s “70 years of humility, decency, and respect.”

He said the celebrations for the Platinum Jubilee had been a “ reminder of our common cause to build a better country for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren.

“It is grotesque that the very next day the Conservative Party has chosen to throw that sense of duty and those values on the bonfire.”

SNP Westminster Leader Ian Blackford MP said the result would leave Mr Johnson a “lame duck” Prime Minister. 

He said: "Tory MPs should have drawn a line under Boris Johnson's disastrous time as Prime Minister but instead they've bottled it - allowing this damaging circus to continue and leaving the Westminster government in crisis.

"The UK is now stuck in limbo with a lame duck Prime Minister who has lost the confidence of the public - and more than forty per cent of his own MPs - and is left limping around on borrowed time while the Tory party descends into bitter division.”

The SNP politician also criticised Douglas Ross, who performed a second U-turn and voted for Mr Johnson to go, despite last week warning that removing the Prime Minister could destabilise the UK and “help Vladimir Putin.”

As for Douglas Ross, his position is completely untenable,” Mr Blackford said. “If he had any principles or dignity he should quit as Scottish Tory leader. He has made himself look utterly ridiculous by flip-flopping over Boris Johnson's future and will have no authority or credibility if he tries to cling on."

In a statement, Alister Jack, the Secretary of State for Scotland said he has "very pleased that he has received the backing of a clear majority of the Parliamentary party."

He added: "We now need to put this behind us, and get on with what really matters - tackling the very real major challenges we face both at home and abroad."

Speaking on Channel 4 News, the Tory MP Sir Charles Walker said the result could lead to a “guerilla war” in the party. 

“Does the parliamentary party say ‘right, OK, we’ve had the confidence vote, is it now time to move on, get behind the prime minister?’

“Or will there be a temptation to have a rolling maul, a guerrilla war, for the next six, 12, 18, 24 months?”

Under the current rules of the 1922 committee, the result means that Mr Johnson will be safe from another confidence vote until 2023. 

However, any respite for the Prime Minister could be short lived. There are two challenging by-elections on 23 June, and a Commons inquiry probing whether or not he lied to parliament.