18:16

In a dramatic intervention, the Conservative MP, Simon Clarke, stood up and declared he was withdrawing his letter of no confidence in the prime minister and said others should give her their backing.

Afterwards, Clarke told reporters he had put in his letter last Tuesday following the resignations of Boris Johnson and David Davis as foreign and Brexit secretaries, respectively. But Clarke said he had since had second thoughts.

We have got a mission in government and it is serious. God knows, the threat of a Corbyn government is real.

May had stressed the risks of an election and a Labour administration, he said, adding:

We’ve looked into the abyss in the last few days. We’ve really been through the mill. We should just not do this.

One MP said the scene was “electric” when Clarke withdrew his letter, saying they had “never seen anything like that in all my years at the 22”. Clarke said the prime minister was impassive as he did so.

That’s the prime minister, she doesn’t buckle under pressure and she doesn’t revel in the good times. There was no big smile.

Another MP said May had “done enough”.