MPs are voting on a motion that could oust Theresa May’s government from power and start moves towards a general election. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who tabled the no confidence motion, said the PM’s “zombie” administration had lost the right to govern, and they “should do the right thing and resign”. But Mrs May said a general election was simply not “in the national interest”. It comes 24 hours after MPs voted down the PM’s Brexit plans by a huge margin.
Closing the debate, Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson said: “She is a prime minister without a majority for her flagship policy, with no authority and no plan B.”
But Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, said Mrs May had provided “inspirational leadership”. He launched a scathing attack on Mr Corbyn over a number of his positions on national security issues, saying to loud cheers from Conservative MPs that the country could not have confidence in him as a leader. Mr Corbyn’s motion is backed by MPs from the SNP, Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru and Green Party.
But senior Labour figures accept it is not likely to succeed, as she has the backing of Tory rebels and the DUP’s 10 MPs, who less than 24 hours ago helped inflict a humiliating defeat on her.
Labour says further no-confidence votes could follow if this one fails.
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Mr Corbyn told MPs: “The prime minister has consistently claimed that her deal, which has been decisively rejected, was good for Britain workers and business… she should have nothing to fear by going to the people.”
He added that 2011’s Fixed-term Parliaments Act “was never intended to prop up a zombie government”, saying that the prime minister had “lost control” and suffered an “historic and humiliating defeat”.
Mr Watson added: “I don’t doubt that [Mrs May] has sincerely attempted to fulfil the task given to us buy the voters in the referendum. I have no doubt too that she has tried her best and given it her all. “But she has failed and I am afraid the failure is hers and hers alone. “We know she has worked hard, but the truth is she is too set in her ways, too aloof to lead. “She lacks the imagination and agility to bring people with her, she lacks the authority on the world stage to negotiate this deal. Ultimately she has failed.”
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Read the whole story on the website of the BBC.
Source: https://www.bbc.com
