Corbyn vote call piles new pressure on May
Confidence motion after Brexit deal decision delay
LABOUR LEADER Jeremy Corbyn ramped up the pressure on Theresa May last night as he announced he will table a motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister’s handling of the deepening constitutional crisis over Brexit.
The announcement came after the Prime Minister set the timetable for a decisive showdown with MPs over her Brexit deal in January, despite criticism from her own backbenchers for delaying the vote.
Mrs May said yesterday the Commons would have the chance to debate her Withdrawal Agreement in the week MPs return to Westminster after Christmas on January 7. The crucial vote – postponed earlier this month to avoid a heavy defeat – will take place the following week.
Raising a point of order later in the Commons, Mr Corbyn said: “It’s very clear that it’s bad, unacceptable that we should be waiting almost a month before we have a meaningful vote on the crucial issue facing the future of this country.
“The Prime Minister has obdurately refused to ensure a vote took place on the date she agreed, she refuses to allow a vote to take place this week and is now, I assume, thinking the vote will be on January 14 – almost a month away. This is unacceptable in any way whatsoever.
“So, as the only way I can think of ensuring a vote takes place this week, I’m about to table a motion which says the following: ‘That this House has no confidence in the Prime Minister due to her failure to allow the House of Commons to have a meaningful vote straight away on the Withdrawal Agreement and framework for future relationships between the UK and European Union.’”
Mrs May travelled to Brussels last week after winning a confidence vote among her own MPs in a bid to win assurances from European leaders.
She told the Commons yesterday: “It is now only just over 14 weeks until the UK leaves the EU
and I know many members of this House are concerned that we need to take a decision soon.”
She added: “I can confirm today that we intend to return to the meaningful vote debate in the week commencing January 7 and hold the vote the following week.”
The Prime Minister’s statement came as Ministers openly speculated about how to proceed if the deal is rejected.
As Brussels appeared to dispute claims that negotiations were continuing over the terms of the deal and planning for a nodeal Brexit was stepped up, with the Cabinet discussing “the next phase in ensuring we are ready for that scenario” today.
The Prime Minister warned MPs that rejecting her deal would not result in an alternative “miraculously” appearing, adding: “Avoiding ‘no deal’ is only possible if we can reach an agreement or if we abandon Brexit entirely.”
And in a warning to campaigners calling for a second referendum, she said it would “break faith with the British people” and do “irreparable damage to the integrity of our politics”.