Vote on Brexit will take place on week starting 14th January – Corbyn to table vote of not confidence in Theresa May
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The Commons will vote on Theresa May’s Brexit plan in the week starting 14 January, the prime minister said, as she once again urged MPs to back her proposals, saying the alternative was no deal or no departure from the EU.
Making a statement to MPs following her difficult appearance at the EU summit in Brussels last week, May announced the date, immediately after Labour promised to push for a no-confidence vote in the prime minister if she failed to do so.
May called off the scheduled vote last week amid near-unanimous predictions she would lose.
“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,” May said, prompting jeers from many MPs.
The leader of the Commons, Andrea Leadsom, would announce the timetable for the weeks after the Christmas recess, which begins on Thursday “in the usual way”, May said.
She added: “But I can confirm today that we intend to return to the meaningful vote debate in the week commencing 7 January, and hold the vote the following week.”
The announcement nonetheless prompted angry responses from both Labour and a series of backbench MPs, who accused May of pushing the vote back to use up time, and thus create a false choice between her plan and leaving without a deal.
Jeremy Corbyn raised to make a point of order. He said that putting off the vote until January is unacceptable. He said he will table a motion saying the House has no confidence in the PM because of May’s failure to hold a meaningful vote immediately.
Jeremy Corbyn‘s statement: “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.’
That will be tabled immediately, Mr Speaker.”
Meanwhile, Sky reports that Jacob Rees-Mogg has told Theresa May that she has regained his backing after winning the confidence of Conservative MPs last week. The leading Brexiteer said her victory in the vote meant she now had his confidence – even though he previously called on her to resign over her Brexit deal. And despite the prime minister being unable to win concessions from EU leaders on the agreement, Mr Rees-Mogg offered his congratulations for seeing off a rebellion helped by his own submission of a letter of no confidence.
