BREXIT - Theresa May Survives Vote of Confidence Wednesday Jan 16,2019

• Theresa May survived a no-confidence vote called by Jeremy Corbyn in the House of Commons last night
• Losing the vote would have paved way for a general election, but the DUP and Tory Brexiteers backed her
• The Labour leader flatly refused an offer from the PM for talks on how to find a way through on Brexit 
• Mrs May appealed for consensus and said she was 'disappointed' by the snub in statement in Downing Street 
• The contest was triggered after the House of Commons roundly thrashed the PM's EU deal on Tuesday night Jan 15,2019
• Brexit deal defeat by 230 votes was the biggest for a government in history, outstripping Labour in 1924 
• The EU has heaped pressure on Mrs May by urging her to drop her 'red lines' and go for a softer Brexit 
• In the end the PM's margin of victory of 19 in the was bigger than the government's effective majority of 13

How did MPs vote on Corbyn's no confidence motion?

Theresa May won a motion of no confidence 325 to 306 last night, a majority of just 19.

Unlike Tuesday night's showdown over Brexit, this vote split tightly along party lines.

The Tories pulled an all-hands effort - getting all 314 of its available MPs through the division lobbies. It was also backed by all 10 DUP MPs, plus Independent Lady Sylvia Hermon.

Labour almost managed the same, securing the support of 251 of its available MPs. The only one missing was Paul Flynn, who is away from Westminster on health grounds.

Independent former Labour MPs Frank Field and Jared O'Mara backed the motion. 

Several independent MPs missed the vote - former Labour MP John Woodcock declared in advance he would never vote for Mr Corbyn.

Also missing was Fiona Onasanya, who has been kicked out of Labour after being convicted of perverting the course of justice, and Ivan Lewis, who is suspended over harassment claims

DUP leaders Arlene Foster and Nigel Dodds (left) revealed they had held 'useful' talks with Theresa May ahead of the no confidence vote in the Commons 

The last time a government was defeated on a confidence motion was in 1979.

The Labour government led by Jim Callaghan lost the opposition motion on March 28 1979 by just one vote, 311-310.

Mr Callaghan immediately announced a dissolution of parliament and a general election, which was subsequently won by the Conservatives.

Since 1900 there have been only three occasions when a government has lost a vote of confidence: twice in 1924 and once in 1979.

There have not been any confidence motions formally tabled in the House of Commons since 1993.

The most recent example was on July 23 1993, when the Conservative government of John Major tabled a motion of confidence in itself, to shore up support following its defeat the previous day on the Maastricht Treaty Social Chapter. The government won the motion 339-299.

In November 1994, Mr Major, who became Sir John in 2005, made the passage of the European Communities (Finance Bill) 'in all its essentials' an issue of confidence, but no confidence motion was formally moved by the government or opposition.

Votes of confidence were once regular occurrences in the House of Commons, with both governments and opposition parties using them to test support on the backbenches.

There were eight such votes during the 1960s and nine during the 1970s.

One of the most high-profile in recent decades took place on November 22 1990, when Labour moved a motion of no confidence in the Conservative government.

It was prompted by Margaret Thatcher failing to secure re-election as Tory leader on the first ballot of a leadership contest. The government won the vote 367-247.