The scandal-hit Confederation for British Industry (CBI) survived a crunch vote on its future on Tuesday, with 93pc of members saying they had confidence in its restructuring plan.

The business lobby group, which has become engulfed in a sexual misconduct scandal in recent months, said 345 number of members voted in favour of the reforms, which were designed to stave off insolvency, limit job cuts and prevent further instances of sexual misconduct.

Despite members supporting the CBI’s plans, there remain questions over the group’s future, as a raft of Britain’s biggest companies have already quit and the Government is refusing to engage with it.

It follows an exodus of members after allegations of historic sexual misconduct at the lobby group, with a handful major members, including Scottish Power, PwC and BT, abstaining from voting.

Rain Newton-Smith, the CBI’s new director general, said: “After an incredibly tough period, I’m deeply grateful for the faith shown in us by our members. We’ve made real progress in implementing the top-to-bottom programme of change promised by the board and, while there remains work to do, today’s result represents an important milestone on that journey.  

“Even an organisation as established as the CBI is only as strong as its members. That support is something we have never taken for granted. We will work tirelessly to repay the faith shown in us and are committed to living the values and changes we have proposed.  

“Let me be clear, we have listened, we have acted, and we will leave no stone unturned to be the best voice for business inside and out.  

“We also heard another important message from members. That they want us to bring our breadth and depth of expertise, as well as our unique convening power, to bear on the economic challenges of the day.”

More to follow.