Labour: PM could fall at any time
Labour is prepared to bring down the UK Government “within weeks”, the shadow Foreign Secretary has said.
Emily Thornberry, who is currently travelling to Israel as part of her shadow cabinet duties, said she had been told by party bosses that she must be back in London for the Commons returning from a mini-recess on Monday.
“We could bring down the Government at any time so we have to be here at all votes,” she said.
Her comments in a magazine interview come at the end of another difficult week for Prime Minister Theresa May, which saw former International Development Minister Priti Patel quit the Cabinet amid controversy.
Asked when she thought the next election will happen, Ms Thornberry said: “They’re not going to last five years, but whether it’s weeks, months or years, no one knows. This is unprecedented. As a minority government, to stay in power you don’t do anything controversial.
“Well how’s that going? It could be something major like Brexit, but it could be something that we just don’t predict and seems relatively minor at the time.
“They’re so fragile that anything could happen to knock them over, and we need to be ready to go.”
The Jeremy Corbyn ally also played down speculation that she could be the next Labour leader, following reports that Unite general secretary Len McCluskey would back her in any future contest.