Theresa May signalled the end of austerity measures as took the blame for the Tory election disaster at a meeting of furious Conservative MPs .

As she battled to cling to No 10 after her gamble on an early election backfired spectacularly, the Prime Minister said: 'I got us into this mess and I'm going to get us out of it.'

Mrs May was said to have accepted that Britons were fed up with cuts, after top Tory ministers, including Boris Johnson and David Davis, told her she had misjudged how the public felt.

The Prime Minister repeatedly apologised to her MPs as she insisted she had served the party since she was 12 and would stay on 'as long as you want me to'.

Mrs May was greeted to the meeting with around 25 seconds of table-banging and a brief cheer as she arrived at the crunch meeting in Parliament. She left more than an hour later to applause.

But amid fury from her MPs at the 'dreadful' campaign the reception was far from the hero's welcome she might have enjoyed had she returned with a healthy majority.

Mrs May's appearance in front of her MPs came hours she met her reshuffled Cabinet for the first time.

The Premier was declared to have 'overwhelming support' from her ministers to carry on as the party closed ranks in the aftermath of the shock election results.

Theresa May (pictured leaving No 10 tonight) took the blame for the Tories election disaster tonight as she appeared in front of Conservative MPs for the first time

Mrs May promised her MPs she would stay on and serve for as long as they want her as she apologised for the calamitous decision to call an election

Mrs May's motorcade swept into the Palace of Westminster tonight (pictured) as she headed to the 1922 Committee of Conservative MPs

At the tense meeting, one MP said May was 'contrite' and added: 'There wasn't much of the MayBot.'

She told the '22 she had been a Conservative all her life, and was dedicated to doing the right thing for the party.

KEY MOMENTS IN MAY'S FIGHT TO STAY TODAY 0930:Regular Cabinet meeting Mid morning: Meetings with the DUP to formalise a deal to form a majority government Evening: Travel to France for a meeting with President Macron NEXT WEEK June 19: Queen's Speech was due to take place. This has been delayed. June 19: Start of Brexit talks. This has been delayed. June 22-23: European Council, Brussels Advertisement

Asked if the MPs had 'full confidence' in Mrs May, the backbencher replied: 'The party has confidence in her.'

Another Tory backbencher said the reception for the PM was 'good'.

Mrs May apparently said sorry several times during her speech, which was interspersed by MPs banging on desks.

She apologised for colleagues losing their seats, and said she took responsibility for the calamitous decision to call an early election.

And at tonight's meeting, Mrs May vowed: 'I will serve you as long as you want me to.'

The Tory leader took dozens of questions at the session and departed the meeting to applause.

She offered 'support' to MPs who lost their seats - which the Telegraph tonight said was interpreted by some as an offer of financial help.

Mrs May met her Cabinet for the first time since the election this afternoon (pictured) before heading to Parliament for a tense encounter with her MPs

The Prime Minister is working to hammer out a deal with the DUP to help her stay in power but while the talks continue she is facing the unprecedented decision of delaying the Queen's Speech

MINISTERS HIRED AND FIRED IN MAY'S RESHUFFLE FIRED Apprenticeships Minister Robert Halfon Defence minister Mike Penning Justice minister Sir Oliver Heald Brexit minister David Jones HIRED Home Office minister - Nick Hurd Justice minister - Dominic Raab Education minister - Anne Milton Education minister - Robert Goodwill Brexit minister - Baroness Anelay Business minister - Claire Perry Financial secretary to the Treasury - Mel Stride Advertisement

Many Tory MPs have slammed Mrs May's 'dreadful' campaign since the devastating results rolled in last week.

Nigel Evans claimed the party had 'shot itself in the head' by appearing to go to war with its own core pensioner voters.

Few in Westminster think Mrs May is on any more than borrowed time after limping back into Downing Street on Friday morning.

George Osborne yesterday branded her a 'dead woman walking'.

Philip May was spotted returning to Downing Street tonight as No 10 attempts to get life back to normal in the aftermath of the election

The Prime Minister's husband was left carrying the bags again this evening

Ahead of tonight's meeting, the chairman of the powerful 1922 Committee Graham Brady said Mrs May would have to take 'some responsibility' for the election campaign, which he said was 'one of the worst I can recall'.

And he said he hoped she would make clear she was ready to lead in a 'more collegiate' way.

But he played down expectations of a leadership contest or early general election, telling the BBC: 'I don't detect any sense either that the public wants another general election or that my colleagues would like to serve up to the British public another big dose of uncertainty by plunging into a leadership election.'

Gavin Barwell (pictured leaving No 10 tonight) has been appointed as the new Downing Street chief of staff in the way of the election disaster

Mr Barwell is a replacement for Mrs May's closest and most senior aides Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill, who were forced out in the aftermath of the results

He said he hoped Mrs May would show at the meeting that she was ready to lead in a 'more collegiate' way.

Since the devastating losses, Mrs May has accepted the resignation of her two closest and most senior aides Nick Timothy and Fiona Hill.

They have been replaced as chief of staff by Gavin Barwell, one of the Tory MPs defeated last week and a two-decade veteran of Tory HQ.

At a modest reshuffle yesterday, Mrs May conceded to demands for her to appoint a proper deputy in the Government, making Damian Green her First Secretary of State.

Speaking after the first meeting of the new Cabinet today, Mr Green insisted there was 'overwhelming support' for the PM to carry on despite the electoral disaster.

Damian Green, the newly appointed First Secretary of State, confirmed a likely delay this afternoon because of the talks with the DUP

DUP leader Arlene Foster today insisted she would not 'negotiate over the airwaves' as talks over a Government deal with the Tories delayed the Queen's Speech

But he admitted the chaos would continue as the Queen's Speech could have to be delayed as a government agenda that will win the backing of the DUP is cobbled together.

He said: 'Obviously until we have that we can't agree the final details of the Queen's Speech.'

He added: 'I can't confirm anything yet until we know the final details of the agreement.

'We know those talks are going well and also we know that, at this very important time, we want to produce a substantial Queen's Speech.'

The Government was scrambling to insist its main priority of Brexit would survive the thoroughgoing catastrophe wreaked upon itself.

But Brexit Secretary David Davis admitted today the negotiations will not start on time next Monday.

Mrs May campaigned for weeks by warning voters that talks would start on June 19 and voters must choose whether to send her or Jeremy Corbyn.

But after seeing her warnings dismissed by the electorate and her Commons majority wiped out the Prime Minister is instead facing demands to water down her Brexit plans.

Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson, the newly appointed Environment Secretary Michael Gove, and Home Secretary Amber Rudd were all pictured arriving at No 10 today

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was pictured leaving Downing Street today ahead of the first Cabinet meeting since the election

Mr Davis said this morning that the talks would begin next week - but not on Monday - and it is not clear whether they will be held at official or politician level.

The Government today said its plans to quit the single market and leave the jurisdiction of the European Court were intact.

But Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson is leading the charge for a more 'open' Brexit that puts the economy ahead of cutting immigration.

Mr Davis told Sky News today that his top civil servant was in Brussels laying the ground for the first talks today.

'It's in the week of next week, basically, is the first discussions,' Davis said.

'It may not be on the Monday because we've also got the Queen's Speech that week and I will have to speak in that and so on.'

He added: 'The first round of pretty long meeting is roughly one week a month - much, much faster than on previous trade deals in the past.'

Brexit Secretary David Davis (pictured on Sky News today) admitted the talks may not start on Monday as the Tories insisted during the campaign

Jeremy Corbyn, pictured leaving his London home, has previously refused to say immigration should come down - but said free movement is likely to end

Mr Davis also hinted Britain would now accept the EU timetable of dealing with the divorce before moving attention to the trade deal.

He said: 'What we have said is we will start down this process.

'But I will have some discussions with [Michel] Barnier [the EU's chief Brexit negotiator] about how we progress to the wider thing, of the trade area. The most important thing in the aggregate is the trade area.'

Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner suggested the UK could keep 'reformed membership' of the single market

At a briefing in Westminster this morning, Mrs May's official spokesman claimed the Government's plans were intact.

He said: 'What was clear in the referendum campaign was that what the British people voted for was to take control of their money, their borders and their laws.

'That is what we are delivering.'

Labour's position on the issue appeared mired in chaos today.

Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner risked inflaming tensions over the issue by suggesting the UK could keep 'reformed membership'.

The comment reflects the hopes of significant numbers of pro-EU Labour MPs.

But others warn that it will be impossible to remain inside the single market without accepting free movement - pointing out that high immigration was a key factor in the Brexit vote last year.

Jeremy Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell appeared to make clear yesterday that remaining in the single market was off the table.

May's new deputy claims the PM has 'overwhelming support' from her reshuffled Cabinet but chaos reigns as the Queen's Speech is DELAYED

Theresa May was given 'overwhelming support' when she met her reshuffled Cabinet in Downing Street for the first time since her disastrous election gamble backfired, her deputy insisted today.

Damian Green, installed as First Secretary of State in a reshuffle that demonstrated the Prime Minister's weakness last night, said there was 'complete unanimity' for Mrs May to continue.

As the ailing Premier fights to hold on to power, she has taken the unprecedented step of delaying next Monday's Queen's Speech amid wrangling with Northern Ireland's DUP party about what exactly will be in the cobbled together plan for new laws.

Mrs May carried out a limited reshuffle of her top team last night and she fought to cling to power in the aftermath of her disastrous election gamble. At today's meeting she sat opposite her new deputy Damian Green and was flanked by Boris Johnson and Justine Greening

Monday June 19 has been in the Queen's diary for months. Moving it means either a week long delay or forcing the Monarch to miss a day of the horse racing at Ascot, where she is expected between next Tuesday and Saturday.

As Mrs May tries to work out a programme for her hobbled administration, plans to scrap the triple lock on pensions, means-test the winter fuel allowance and repeal the foxhunting ban are set to be ditched.

Mrs May's dream of creating a new generation of grammar schools is also set to be shelved to make sure the Queen's Speech is safely defended in the Commons lobbies.

Brexit Secretary David Davis admitted the manifesto would be 'pruned' of mistakes such as the 'dementia tax' made in the manifesto as the Tories look to follow the voters' instructions.

Monday June 19 has been in the Royal diary for months and moving the Queen's Speech will mean either a week long delay or forcing the Monarch (pictured at last year's state opening) to miss a trip to Ascot

It means that whenever it is finally delivered the Queen's Speech will focus mainly on a narrow agenda of Brexit and combating terrorism and extremism.

Ministers also remain committed to cutting immigration to the tens of thousands, No 10 said.

Damian Green, the newly appointed First Secretary of State, confirmed a likely delay this afternoon because of the talks with the DUP.

After today's Cabinet, he said: 'Obviously until we have that we can't agree the final details of the Queen's Speech.'

He added: 'I can't confirm anything yet until we know the final details of the agreement.

'We know those talks are going well and also we know that, at this very important time, we want to produce a substantial Queen's Speech.'