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Jeremy Corbyn announces he will table a motion of no confidence in Theresa May

Jeremy Corbyn<span>has told MPs he will table a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May over her handling of the Brexit deal vote.</span>
Jeremy Corbynhas told MPs he will table a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May over her handling of the Brexit deal vote.

Jeremy Corbyn has told MPs he will table a motion of no confidence in Theresa May over her handling of the Brexit ‘meaningful vote’.

The Labour leader said earlier that he would bring the no confidence motion if Mrs May did not give MPs a date for the ‘meaningful vote’ on the Brexit deal, before backtracking on the promise and claiming that Labour was responsible for Theresa May confirming a date for the vote.

Then in an abrupt about-turn, Mr Corbyn told the Commons that putting back the Brexit vote to January was ‘unacceptable’ and that he would demand the vote on Mrs May’s leadership after all.

Theresa May is facing another vote of no confidence in her leadership, this time for Parliament as a whole. (House of Commons/PA)
Theresa May is facing another vote of no confidence in her leadership, this time for Parliament as a whole. (House of Commons/PA)

The vote will not be binding and the PM will have no official obligation to resign if she loses.

The vote refers to confidence in Mrs May’s leadership specifically rather than in the government as whole, and so it is conceivable that rebel Tories could vote with Labour in order to bring down the PM and have her replaced.

The DUP, whose MPs prop up the Government in the absence of a majority, could also vote against Mrs May in protest against her deeply unpopular Brexit deal.

Jeremy Corbyn delivers a speech in the House of Commons. (Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament via AP)
Jeremy Corbyn delivers a speech in the House of Commons. (Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament via AP)

The Prime Minister confirmed earlier that MPs will hold the ‘meaningful vote’ on her Brexit deal in the week beginning 14 January.

The vote was postponed after the Prime Minister accepted she was heading towards a crushing defeat at the hands of the opposition and her own MPs.

A debate on the vote will begin in the week commencing 7 January, Mrs May told Parliament.

The PM went back to Brussels last week in an attempt to secure concessions to win over rebel MPs, but was rebuffed by the EU who insisted renegotiation is not an option.

She told MPs on Monday: “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 Labour leader said the vote should have been held before Christmas, accusing Mrs May of “dither and delay”.

He told her: “A responsible prime minister would for the good of this country put this deal before the House this week so we could move on from this Government’s disastrous negotiation.

“This is a constitutional crisis and the Prime Minister is the architect of it. She is leading the most shambolic and chaotic government in modern British history.”