IT IS NOW crystal clear that PM May continues to rule the UK because the Labour opposition, led by Jeremy Corbyn, refuses to put down a motion of no confidence in her government.
Speaking on Monday, May announced that she would reschedule the vote on her Brexit plan for the week of January 14. Corbyn replied to her report and, after some delay, put down a motion of no confidence in PM May herself, leaving her government out of the line of fire.
Corbyn told the House of Commons: ‘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.’
He continued: ‘It is unacceptable for the country to wait another month before Parliament has the chance to vote on Theresa May’s botched deal.’ He tweeted: ‘Therefore I have tabled a motion of no confidence in the PM this evening, so Parliament can take back control. #NoConfidence pic.twitter.com/IRXeaScpZm — Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) December 17, 2018’.
May, in fact, is taking MPs right to the brink of ‘no deal’ to try to get her deal through. The rescheduled vote for the week of January 14 is less than 80 days before Britain is due to leave the European Union on March 29.
Corbyn said that the motion was based on the Prime Minister’s ‘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.’
However, since the motion was directed at May as opposed to the government as a whole, it could not force the May government to resign if Parliament approved it. It could only increase pressure on the Prime Minister – as Corbyn well knew.
In fact, PM May refused to allocate time for this motion to be heard. She did throw down a challenge to Corbyn that he should move a vote of ‘no confidence’ in the government, and she would make sure that there was the space available for it to be heard and voted on.
A successful vote of no confidence against the government would bring it down and create the conditions for a general election and a new government that Corbyn says that he wants. Corbyn has accused the Prime Minister of ‘cynically running down the clock’ until the UK leaves the EU by offering lawmakers ‘her deal or no deal.’ He added that May has been the architect of leading the UK into a ‘national crisis’.
Corbyn refused to move a vote of no confidence against the May government because he fears that a crisis general election before the UK quits the EU would leave Labour open to charges that it had turned-coat over Brexit, and could even split the party. After all, it fought the 2017 general election on the basis that it would carry out the 2016 Referendum result and leave the EU, and that stand wiped out May’s Tory majority.
Labour, as Brexit turncoats, would lose seats not gain them. This is why Corbyn bottled out of a no-confidence vote against the May regime. At the same time, Labour’s Blairite right wing would not tolerate any defence of the 2016 Referendum that they all voted against and are determined to undo by any, and all, means necessary. Corbyn, despite his mass support inside the Labour Party, is in fact a prisoner of its right wing!
The prospect is that on January 14th, when May’s final results of her re-negotiations are revealed, without any significant changes to the backstop etc, the Labour right wing, in alliance with the SNP, the Greens, The Lib Dems etc, will seek to mount a parliamentary coup to force through a second referendum, or the annulling of Article 50 to put an end to Brexit.
Workers must get ready for this rapidly approaching spectre, and get ready to march on parliament to rout the anti-Brexit forces. The working class must make its defence of Brexit the beginning of the British socialist revolution!
