British Prime Minister Theresa May has won a vote of confidence in her leadership of the Conservative Party.

She won the leadership challenge by 200 votes as against 117 votes cast against her in the ballot by Conservative members of parliament . The secret ballot was triggered by 48 of her MPs who are angry at her Brexit policy, which they say betrays the 2016 referendum result.

May needed a simple majority (at least 159 out of 315 Conservative MPs) to win the confidence vote. Winning this vote means her leadership cannot be challenged within the next 12 months.

In a statement made shortly after the vote, May acknowledged that although she won, a significant number of her party colleagues had cast ballots against her.

“A significant number of colleagues cast a vote against me and I have listened to what they said,” May told the press in front of 10 Downing Street.

The prime minister went on to say that it was now time to deliver “the Brexit the people voted for.”

If she had lost the confidence vote, Mrs May would have been forced to stand down as Conservative Party leader and then, as Prime Minister.