First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has branded Theresa May a 'lame duck leader with a lame duck Brexit deal' after she secured an underwhelming victory in a Tory confidence ballot.

The Prime Minister received 200 votes in favour and 117 against from Conservative MPs, leaving her with a majority of just 83.

Commenting on the result, Sturgeon said: “This result is barely even a pyrrhic victory for the Prime Minister, who has now admitted her time in office is limited. She may have clung on to the Conservative leadership, but her remaining authority has been fatally undermined.

“Even after being forced into saying she would stand down soon, almost 40% of her parliamentary group have voted against her – meaning presumably a majority of her backbenchers did so. In any normal situation, the Prime Minister’s position would be untenable.

“The crisis and chaos currently facing the UK is entirely a result of the vicious civil war that has engulfed the self-centred Conservative Party – at a crucial time in the UK’s history, it has a lame duck Prime Minister saddled with a lame duck Brexit deal.

“The cost to Scotland of being under Westminster control and at the mercy of a Tory civil war has never been clearer.

“The Prime Minister cannot – and must not – use this result to support her claim that the choice is now between her bad Brexit and a catastrophic no-deal Brexit. Parliament is simply not going to approve her deal – and is also likely to make clear that there is no majority for no-deal. Every day that she refuses to accept this is another day wasted.

“The Scottish Government and SNP will continue to make the case for Scotland’s overwhelming vote to stay in Europe to be respected, and we will support any second EU referendum which has remain as an option.  

“Our priority is to do all we can to stop the UK Government dragging Scotland off the Brexit cliff-edge, which is set to do so much damage to jobs, communities and living standards.”