JEREMY Corbyn has insisted he will table a no-confidence motion in Theresa May’s Government “soon” - once her Brexit Plan is defeated tomorrow as most MPs expect.
The Labour leader said Theresa May was now in “desperate stakes” and argued that the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement would be "very damaging in the long run" to rights, trade arrangements and to the Northern Ireland situation.
He explained: "We will table a motion of no-confidence in the Government at a time of our choosing but it's going to be soon, don't worry about it." It is widely expected at Westminster to take place on Wednesday.
Repeatedly asked on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show if Labour would campaign to leave the EU if there were a general election, Mr Corbyn sidestepped the question but declared: "We're campaigning for a country that is brought together by investment…We're campaigning for a customs union."
He later explained the party would "decide our manifesto content as soon as we know there's an election coming".
His comments came after Richard Leonard, the Scottish Labour Party leader, was criticised last week for failing to say if the party would campaign for or against Brexit in any snap election. However, in the Commons chamber, Diane Abbott, the Shadow Home Secretary, insisted Labour was “committed to honouring the referendum vote”.
Asked if Article 50 should be extended, Mr Corbyn suggested it should be, saying: "Clearly, if Theresa May's deal is voted down, clearly, if a general election takes place and a Labour government comes in - an election would take place February, March time – clearly, there's only a few weeks between that and the leave date, there would have to be time for those negotiations."
Pressed about a second referendum, the Labour leader outlined his party’s hopes for a general election first before saying: "My own view is that I'd rather get a negotiated deal now, if we can, to stop the danger of a no-deal exit from the EU on March 29, which would be catastrophic for industry, catastrophic for trade and the long-term effects of that would be huge."
In response, Brandon Lewis, the Conservative Chairman, said: “Jeremy Corbyn wants a general election on Brexit but...failed five times to say what he would actually do on Brexit.
“He also confirmed Labour would delay Brexit by extending Article 50; perhaps because he needs time to make up his mind.
“On top of that, he made clear he has absolutely no interest in getting control of our borders after we leave the EU.”
Mr Lewis added: “One thing is clear: instead of acting in the national interest, Jeremy Corbyn is playing politics and would take the county back to square one.”
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