Past UK Conservative leaders who faced leadership challenges

LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson may have survived a no-confidence vote, but his grip on power is far from secure.

Many compare his position to that of his predecessor Theresa May, who won a similar vote by a larger margin than Johnson but was nonetheless ousted six months later.

“The history for prime ministers who survive confidence votes isn’t that great," said Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London.

A look at how previous Conservative prime ministers fared after leadership challenges against them:

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MARGARET THATCHER

Thatcher survived a first leadership challenge in 1989, but a second one the next year spelled her downfall.

In 1989, a little-known lawmaker, Anthony Meyer, launched a challenge against Thatcher, who had been reelected as party leader unopposed every year since 1974. Thatcher won comfortably by 314 votes to 33 but, counting deliberately spoiled ballot papers, about 60 had failed to endorse her -- an early indication that her position was shaky.

The next year, former defense secretary Michael Heseltine mounted his own bid to wrest leadership from Thatcher amid serious divisions within the Conservatives.

Thatcher won 204 votes to Heseltine’s 152 in the first round of the leadership election, but the margin wasn't enough to defeat him outright, forcing a second round.

The “Iron Lady” resigned two days later, and Conservative lawmakers subsequently elected John Major as her successor in a second ballot.

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JOHN MAJOR

Major took over as Thatcher’s handpicked successor in December 1990.

In June 1995, Major resigned as party leader to force a leadership contest against himself, challenging his party to “put up or shut up” in a bid to quell a persistent group...