LONDON (AP) British Prime Minister Theresa May faced a no-confidence vote today, a day after Parliament rejected her Brexit deal by a historic margin, unleashing a power struggle over control of Britains planned exit from the European Union.
May was battling to save her job after staking her political reputation on winning support for the divorce agreement she has negotiated with the EU over the last two years. Although the Brexit defeat was widely expected, the scale of the rout 432 votes to 202 was devastating for Mays leadership.
Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn responded with a no-confidence motion, saying Parliament should give its verdict on the sheer incompetence of this government.
If a government cannot get its legislation through Parliament, it must go to the country for a new mandate, Corbyn said.
May, who leads a fractious government, a divided Parliament and a gridlocked Brexit process, said she would stay put. May said an election would deepen division when we need unity, it would bring chaos when we need certainty, and it would bring delay when we need to move forward.
The government is likely to survive Wednesdays vote with support from Mays Conservative Party and its Northern Irish ally, the Democratic Unionist Party.
If the government loses, it will have 14 days to overturn the result or face an early national election within weeks.
Political analyst Anand Menon, from the research group, U.K. in a Changing Europe, said May had a remarkable ability to soldier on.
The thing about Theresa May is that nothing seems to faze her, he said. She just keeps on going.
After the biggest parliamentary defeat in history for a British government, May promised to consult with senior lawmakers on future moves. Parliament has given the government until Monday to come up with a new Brexit plan.
The House has spoken and the government will listen, May said after Tuesdays vote, which came just 10 weeks before Britain is due to leave the bloc on March 29.
