May Survives No Confidence Vote despite Killed EU – UK Brexit Deal
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the largest opposition party, Labor, is under increased pressure to call for a new referendum on Brexit.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has managed to stay in power after winning narrowly a no confidence vote against her in the British Parliament a day after it rejected her EU – UK deal on Brexit.
May had suffered the worst parliamentary defeat on Tuesday night after the Brexit deal with Brussels that she had championed got rejected by the British House of Commons by 230 votes (432 MPs against vs. 202 in favor).
She refused to resign in spite of the overwhelming loss but Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labor Party, was quick to table a no confidence vote for her Cabinet.
The UK Prime Minister won the no confidence vote by 325 to 306. She was supported by all 314 MPs from her ruling Conservative Party even though a total of 118 of them voted to kill the Brexit deal a day earlier.
The Tory’s coalition partner, the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland, also rallied behind May with its 10 MPs.
“[I will] continue to work to deliver on the solemn promise to the people of this country to deliver on the result of the referendum and leave the European Union,” May told the British MPs in her reaction to the no confidence vote result, as cited by the BBC.
“We must find solutions that are negotiable and command sufficient support in this House,” she said.
The Prime Minister invited the leaders of all parliamentary parties to individual meetings with her on how to go ahead with Brexit, whose projected date of March 29, 2019, is rapidly approaching.
“The House has put its confidence in this government… I stand ready to work with any member of this House to deliver Brexit and ensure that this House retains the confidence of the British people,” May said.
She reaffirmed her promise to come back to the House of Commons on Monday in order to allow the MPs another opportunity to vote on her plans.
The no confidence motion tabled by Labor’s leader Jeremy Corbyn was backed by all opposition parties, including the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party.
Corbyn, however, is said to be under growing pressure by a large number of the Labor MPs to official call for holding another British referendum on Brexit, the UK’s exit from the EU.
“The government must remove clearly, once and for all, the prospect of the catastrophe of a no deal exit from the EU and all the chaos that would come as a result of that,” the Labor leader told MPs after his no confidence motion failed.
Vince Cable, the leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats, has made it clear that his party prefers the organizing of another referendum on whether the UK should leave the EU. He urged Corbyn to get on board, supporting the People’s Vote campaign working for a new referendum.
“He has now got to change his position and come behind the ‘People’s Vote’ or he will just be seen, and will be, a handmaiden of Brexit,” Cable said.
(Banner image: Theresa May on Twitter)