A south Essex MP has backed Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he survived a confidence vote in his leadership last night with a slender majority.

Boris Johnson faced a vote of confidence by Tory MPs on Monday evening as discontent over the lockdown-busting parties in No 10 and the direction of his leadership reached a tipping point.

Rochford and Southend East MP James Duddridge confirmed he would be supporting the PM as he tweeted yesterday morning, claiming constituents he had spoken to on the train into London were backing Mr Johnson.

The Prime Minister thanked Cabinet colleagues for their efforts to support him during the confidence vote process, which saw more than four in 10 Tory MPs say they had lost faith in his leadership.

Read more >>> Southend MP comes out swinging in defence of PM ahead of no confidence vote

Mr Johnson said "delivering tax cuts" would help deliver "considerable growth in employment and economic progress".

Despite his attempts to draw a line under questions about his leadership, critics have warned the political crisis is not over after 41 per cent of his MPs said they no longer had confidence in him.

Tory MPs voted by 211 to 148 in support of the Prime Minister, but the scale of the opposition was greater than that seen in 2018 when Theresa May faced a confidence vote.

She was ultimately forced out within months.

However, Mr Duddridge says Mr Johnson won by a "clear majority" which now allows us to "focus on getting on with the job".

He said on Twitter: "I supported the Prime Minister in the confidence vote.

"He won by a clear majority, which allows us to put the distraction of the past months behind us and focus on getting on with the job.

"A divisive leadership contest would have been extremely harmful to our country.

"We must draw a line so we can continue to deliver for the people of the UK – tackling the cost of living, clearing the Covid backlogs, helping our friends in Ukraine and making our streets safer."

Mr Duddridge was named the new Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Prime Minister in February.

A PPS is an unpaid assistant to a minister. The role earmarked Mr Duddridge as one of the PM's closest allies.