Italian Premier Enrico Letta won a confidence vote after a last-minute U-turn by former PM Silvio Berlusconi.

PM Enrico Letta warned the Senate that Italy ran "a fatal risk" if he lost the vote.

In the process he won easily as the Senate voted 235 to 70 in favour of the government.

Some of Berlusconi's most adept followers left the chamber without voting.

The result of the vote became apparent that Ex PM Berlusconi had lost, thereby making a sudden step-down and announcement that he would back Mr Letta.

In the wake of Berlusconi's announcement, Mr Letta then easily won the vote

Berlusconi left the Senate to face jeers from the waiting crowd

Mr Letta's cross-party alliance was formed in April after two months of political deadlock following an inconclusive election.

Our source says the former prime minister has been forced into a humiliating stepdown, and will emerge a less strong as his capacity to influence Italian politics dwindled.

But Berlusconi's close ally Renato Schifani insisted he had not been weakened by the vote, telling Italian news agencies that his leadership "has been strengthened".

Berlusconi said: "Italy needs a government that can produce structural and institutional reforms. We have decided, not without internal travail, to back the confidence vote."