Corbyn is ‘the midwife of Brexit’ for failing to call vote, says SNP

JEREMY CORBYN has been branded “the midwife for Brexit” after failing to call a no confidence vote in the Government.

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said Labour ducked the issue with its “embarrassing stunt” of calling for a confidence vote in the Prime Minister, rather than the Government, during an emergency debate on the EU Withdrawal Agreement.

Focusing on the Prime Minister rather than the Government means there is no statutory requirement for the issue to be debated and voted on. Mr Blackford said: “The leader of the Opposition has become the midwife for Brexit. The leader of the Opposition is letting the Government off the hook.

“He has it in his gift to bring a forward a no confidence motion that will test the will of the House and, crucially, will allow his party to move onto the issue of a People’s Vote.

“Yesterday’s stunt was an embarrassment – the SNP and others sought to amend his motion and I am asking him to do what he spectacularly failed to do yesterday and bring forward a motion of no confidence in the Government.”

Mr Blackford added he was “pleading” with Labour to work cross-party with the SNP, Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the Greens to bring forward the vote.

Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said the Government was “running down the clock”.

He said: “It’s certainly not governing in the national interest. Observers often say to me that the Prime Minister is showing ‘resilience’. But this is not resilience, this is reckless.”