THERESA May is clinging on to her job for the moment, promising her rump of MPs at a crucial meeting last night: “I got us into this mess and I’m going to get us out of it.”

It was the first day back in Parliament after a disastrous election campaign that has all but crippled the Tories.

Last week the voters took 13 seats off May’s party, denying her the landslide and personal mandate she believed were within her grasp.

The country returned a hung parliament, a minority Tory government, a resurgent Labour party, and weakened the Prime Minister’s authority on Brexit.

May, however, seemed to win round what could have been a difficult meeting of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs.

Her party yesterday evening seemed content to let her stay on for a little while longer.

Over the weekend, there were rumours Boris Johnson was angling for the top job, though he himself denied the claims, and in a series of WhatsApp messages between MPs urged his colleagues to support May.

Former chancellor George Osborne had suggested May would last a week, calling her a “dead woman walking”.

One Tory MP talking to reporters after the meeting said: “She was very concerned about people who have lost their seats. The party is going to help them – some of them are in dire financial situations.

“She did say sorry, several times. She apologised for colleagues losing their seat, for making the call about the early election.”

There was no appetite for a leadership election, the MP said, adding: “That’s the last thing the country needs. She said she would serve us as long as we want her, and that she’s been a party servant since she was 12 years old stuffing envelopes.”

MPs also said there was an admission that May needed to be less closed off and talk more to her party rather than rely on a small clique of advisers.

The party’s manifesto was also criticised, with Tory MPs attacking the austerity policies generally and the dementia tax in particular.

MPs said May spoke unprompted about concerns over the deal with the DUP.

“She acknowledged that without being asked, she said there would be no watering down of equalities legislation which is to be welcomed,” one MP told the Guardian.

May’s minority government look set to be reliant on the help of 10 DUP MPs, but what may be more tricky for the Prime Minister is relying on the help of Ruth Davidson.

Reports over the weekend suggested the Scottish Conservative leader wanted her 12 MPs to be loyal firstly to her, secondly to May.

The new Scottish MPs were reportedly greeted with cheers when they arrived at the 1922 Committee, with many south of the Border seeing their new colleagues as all that stood between the party in government and languishing in opposition.

Yesterday afternoon, Davidson and May held a private meeting ahead of the first political Cabinet meeting.

In a statement released after the visit, Davidson said: “We talked at length about Brexit and agreed it’s vital to get on with negotiations so we can deliver certainty for firms across the UK.

“I made it clear that as we leave the European Union we must leave the Common Fisheries Policy and ensure a good deal for our fishing communities.

“The Prime Minister is focussed on getting the right deal with Brexit and I give her my full support.

“The key issue is to ensure we put our country’s economic future first and foremost in our minds as we go ahead with Brexit.

“It is clear to me that this Conservative government at Westminster is determined to deliver that.”

Meanwhile, it looks as if the Queen’s Speech, and the State Opening of Parliament could be delayed.

The Queen was due to set out the Government’s programme on June 19, but that may now be postponed while the Prime Minister seeks agreement from the DUP to prop up her minority administration.

One reason being given for the delay was that the actual speech needed to be written on special “goatskin parchment paper”.

Thought not made of goat the very high quality paper needs a week for ink to dry.