British Parliament will vote on Brexit deal starting the week of January 14, May says
Theresa May has told the British Parliament that a vote on her Brexit deal will go ahead in the week beginning January 14.
The embattled British leader yesterday said debate on her deal would begin after the Christmas break on January 7 with the vote coming the week after.
A confidence vote in her leadership by the House of Commons was last night instigated by opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn. But the procedure he chose means that the motion will only be heard in the New Year when the opposition gets a chance to choose business before Parliament.
“This last week has embodied the failure, chaos and indecision at the heart of this government’s shambolic handling of Brexit,” Mr Corbyn said in response to Mrs May’s announcement.
“Today they’ve been dragged kicking and screaming to announce a date to restart the debate.
“But Mr Speaker, it is disgraceful that a month has been wasted since we were due to vote on December 11 and there can be no further attempts to dodge accountability to Parliament.”
After she withdrew the vote last week, Mrs May faced a vote of no confidence within her own party. She survived the vote 200-117 on Wednesday.
Had Mr Corbyn called for a House of Commons vote, it would have been largely symbolic. Only a vote of no confidence within the government will trigger a general election.
Member of Parliament and former Corbyn leadership challenger Owen Smith said he would prefer a motion of no confidence for the whole government, not just Mrs May.
Mrs May mounted a defence of the deal she negotiated, saying those who thought another deal was possible were dealing in fiction.
She also dismissed suggestions of a second referendum on the topic.
Naming a date for the vote failed to stave off the imminent threat of a no-confidence vote in her leadership