Boris Johnson labelled 'lame duck PM' but insists he will 'get on with the job'

ITV News Political Correspondent Carl Dinnen reports on the headaches Boris Johnson faces after surviving his no-confidence vote

Boris Johnson has been labelled a "lame duck prime minister presiding over a divided party" in his first Commons appearance since scraping through a confidence vote.

But the defiant prime minister told PMQs that "absolutely nothing and no-one" would stand in his way of "getting on delivering for the British people".

Just 59% of Tory MPs said they had confidence in the prime minister when dozens of backbenchers tried to oust him on Monday.

Labour former minister Dame Angela Eagle told the Commons: "This week's events have demonstrated just how loathed this prime minister is and that's only in his own party.

"As his administration is too distracted by its internal divisions to deal with the challenges we face, can the prime minister explain if 148 of his own backbenchers don't trust him why on earth should the country?"

Mr Johnson replied: "What I want her to know is that absolutely nothing and no-one, least of all her, is going to stop us with getting on delivering for the British people."

Watch Boris Johnson face critics at first PMQs since the confidence vote:

His backbenchers were not the vocal supporters they usually are in the weekly questions session after 148 of his MPs voted to remove him as their leader on Monday.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer joked that he could not tell whether MPs in the Commons were booing or cheering when he and the PM entered the chamber, referencing an online debate sparked over the Jubilee weekend after Mr Johnson was booed while attending a church service.

Despite it being clear to viewers on TV that the PM and his wife were booed as they entered St Paul’s Cathedral on Friday, his supporters on Twitter insisted there was cheering too.

At PMQs, Sir Keir said: "I couldn't make out whether introductory noise was cheers or boos - trouble is I don't know if its directed at me or him."

The Labour leader failed to deliver any killer blows at PMQs as he attacked the government's running of the NHS and economy, but the SNPs Westminster leader Ian Blackford did not mince his words in a remarkable attack.

He said: "Week after week I've called on this prime minister to resign. I've been met with a wall of noise from the Tory benches. I thought they were trying to shout me down... when all this time it turns out that 41% of them have been cheering me on.

"Let's be clear, at least the numbers don't lie. 41% of his own MPs have no confidence in him. 66(%) of MPs across the House don't support him, and 97% of Scottish MPs want the minister for the union shown the door.

"We now have a lame duck prime minister presiding over a divided party in a disunited kingdom. How does the prime minister expect to continue when even unionist leaders in Scotland won't back him?"

The PM thanked Mr Blackford for his "characteristic warm words", adding: "The biggest and most powerful and effective advocate of the United Kingdom over the... time that I've been in... has been that man there."

"I don't know how long he's going to last here as leader of the SNP... long may he rest in place. He is the Araldite (glue) that's keeping our kingdom together."

Mr Johnson won his confidence vote by a smaller majority than the 63% which supported his predecessor Theresa May in 2018.

Ms May was forced out of the job within six months of her confidence vote but Mr Johnson is determined to press on.

He's in a better position than Ms May was, however, because he has a huge majority in the Commons which means he will continue to win votes - but Ms May had no majority and was unable to pass legislation.

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Under current party rules, Mr Johnson is safe now from another formal confidence vote, although the backbench 1922 Committee could potentially rewrite the regulations if there is renewed pressure for change.However, he has two tricky by-elections coming up in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and in Tiverton and Honiton, Devon, amid warnings they could fall to the Labour and the Liberal Democrats respectively.

If he were to lose both it would signal a huge change in public opinion since the PM's landslide win less than three years ago.

Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab sought to play down the impact of potential losses in the two Tory-held seats, telling ITV News "governments of the day often lose by-elections to go on to win them at a general election".