If May’s ‘confidence’ vote really is about Brexit, her MPs should definitely eject her

What we all want to see: Theresa May leaving 10 Downing Street.

Conservative Party MPs were on the horns of a dilemma today (Tuesday, December 12, 2018).

Backbenchers have triggered a vote of “no confidence” in their leader, Prime Minister Theresa May, saying they no longer have any faith in her ability to deliver an acceptable Brexit deal with the European Union.

In response, Mrs May has also said the vote will be all about Brexit, claiming that it will be impossible to withdraw from the EU on time if she is removed from office.

Considering the reception her deal has received, that will be an incentive for MPs to vote against her in the ballot between 6-8pm this evening.

The majority of MPs don’t want Mrs May’s version of Brexit. They know it will wreck the economy, harm citizens’ well-being and therefore harm their chances of being re-elected in a future general election. If they have any hope of being returned to Parliament in the future, they need to remove her from office.

Mrs May’s claim that this is not about a future general election is wrong too.

Additionally, MPs need to bear in mind the fact that their (current) leader has just returned empty-handed from a junket between EU leaders, launched after she “postponed” a vote in Parliament on her Brexit deal – that she knew she was going to lose. She said she was delaying it in order to get concessions and/or reassurances on areas of dispute, but obviously this has not happened.

It means that she has proved herself to be the useless negotiator that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said she is – fulfilling the opposition leader’s requirement for him to launch a vote of ‘no confidence’ – in Parliament – against her government.

It seems clear that, under these conditions, a Conservative government led by Mrs May would lose such a vote. It would trigger two weeks in which opposition parties could try to form a government that has the confidence of Parliament (unlikely), followed by a general election which would take around a month to complete.

This negates Mrs May’s plea that, if she is removed from office by her own MPs, the Brexit process will be undermined; if she stays in office, the Brexit process will be undermined anyway. In fact, if the Tories remove her themselves, Brexit is likely to be delayed by a shorter period of time.

And what actually happens if she is removed?

Candidates for the leadership will line up to take part in a selection process in which Conservative MPs will vote in several “elimination” rounds until they are left with two candidates who can command a large amount of support. These would then go on to an election involving the entire Tory Party membership across the UK.

They would have to campaign, making statements in support of their candidacy.

It seems likely – to This Writer – that Conservatives would insist on a full, contested election this time. In 2016, Mrs May became leader after other candidates withdrew and the result has been a disaster for her party and the country.

Think of the 2017 general election that she announced in the belief that she would annihilate the Labour Party but which resulted in the annihilation of her own Parliamentary majority.

All of these elements should be running through Conservative MPs’ minds at the moment.

Their effects on those MPs, however, is debatable.

I was watching the BBC’s local news at lunchtime, when it was announced that, of the eight Conservative MPs in Wales, seven would be voting to support Mrs May. The significant fact was this: The one who would not vote for her was a former Brexit minister.

Clearly, as someone who has firsthand experience of Mrs May’s leadership, that person wants nothing more to do with it.

But it seems the others are denying the implications of that choice.

Conservatives across the UK should hope the ignorance of these Welsh Tories is a minority view.

Otherwise they’ll be stuck with a lemon leading their party into a general election they will be sure to lose – badly.

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7 thoughts on “If May’s ‘confidence’ vote really is about Brexit, her MPs should definitely eject her

  1. Neilth

    This is getting silly. There is a majority in the Tory parry in parliament for remain as there is across the house.
    The Europhobic wing known as the Brexiteers want a complete exit allowing them to exploit workers, cut wages and do damaging deals with American predators who want to destroy the NHS and other public services and to force a s to take substandard food, medicines and other commodities from their largely unregulated producers.
    The majority of MPs know how disastrous that would be for the UK and want to retain some involvement with the EU if we have to leave.
    Others would happily revoke The Article 50 announcement and stay in the EU.
    Today’s move is entirely about the rabid right in the Tory party trying to put one of their own in No10

  2. SteveH

    Due to the recent unprecedented increase in demand for popcorn what action is Theresa May going to take to avert the impending national shortage. Has she made contingency plans to have the popcorn trucks waved through customs.

  3. Michael McNulty

    The bookies are giving odds on who will become PM if Theresa May is ousted, but as this is the Tory Party on sale to the highest bidders the bookies should be giving odds on who will own the PM: 11/8 the bankers; 6/4 the utilities; 2/1 big oil etc.

  4. hugosmum70

    ALL THIS WILL TAKE TIME. WITH CHRISTMAS ON THE IMMEDIATE HORIZON ,MEANING TUESDAY AND WEDS 25TH/26TH DEC PLUS MONDAY 31ST DEC AND TUESDAY JAN 1ST WITH NO POST SO EITHER POSTAL VOTES WONT GET DELIVERED OR AT WORST, GET LOST IN THE POST SO IT’LL BE AT LEAST A MONTH BEFORE WE GET POSTAL VOTES , VOTING CARDS ETC DELIVERED IN FULL. DOES SHE THINK ALL THIS STOPPING N STARTING, CANCELLING VOTES ON PARLIAMENTARY SUBJECTS PREVIOUSLY AGREED UPON, AND DELAYS THEREAFTER WILL HELP HER STICKY FINGERS KEEP A HOLD ON THE PM’s THRONE? SORRY TREEZA… YOUR FINGERS HAVE HUNG TOO LONG, THEY ARE BLEEDING AND BLOOD IS SLIPPERY. YOUR ON YOUR WAY OLD GIRL. YOUR STICKY FINGERS HAVE LOST THEIR GRIP APART FROM THE LITTLE ONE……. THE WEAKEST OF ALL… THAT WONT HOLD MUCH LONGER

  5. Brett

    IS THIS NOT ABOUT MORE THAN ANYTHING, REGAINING NOT JUST OUR SOVEREIGNTY ALONE THAT MANY OF OUR FOREFATHERS AND MOTHERS ENDURED THROUGH THE LAST CENTURY & A HALVE THROUGH THE DEVESTATION AND AUGMENTATION OF WARS THAT WE AS THE PEOPLES OF EARTH WOULD & CAN IF THEY SO CHOOSE CREATE A BETTER EXISTENCE OF FAIR AND ACCEPTABILITY OF FINDING WHAT WORKS.
    NOT JUST ALONE OF REDRESSING THE BALANCE OF OURSELVES AND OUR UNIQUENESS OF AWARNESS OF THEM, WITHIN THE COMMUNITY OF OUR UNFOLDING FOURTH REICH INDOCTRINATION ACROSS THE WORLD, “BUT JUST IN SIMPLISTIC TERMS”, HOW THAT IMPOSES EVENTS SO MANY PEOPLE WITHIN THE BRITISH ISLES AND BEYOND ON SO MANY LEVELS.
    RATHER LIKE CASTING A STONE IN A POND, IT WILL HAVE CREATED LESS CONTROL OF YOUR LIVES TO UNBELIEVABLE POSSIBILITY! AND MAY I SAY ALL ACROSS THE WORLD HAVE CHOICE! YOUR OWN PLANET EARTH WAS BORN AND CREATED OF CHOICE! MAKE AND PRAY THAT WE WIN BACK OUR OWN DECISIVE CHOICE TO RULE OURSELVES ACROSS THE PLANET AND NOT ALONE WITHIN BRITAIN WHICH IS UNFOLDING NOT JUST ALONE BY OUR GOVERMENTIIO BUT ALSO SHOWING UP ACROSS OUR MOTHER EARTH!
    AS I SAID YOU ARE HERE TO CHANGE 480THOUSAND YEARS OF RULE AND CONTROL, LETS START TO TAKE BAKE ARE UNIQUENESS AND BE WHOM WE CHOOSE TO BE BY THE PEOPLES OF EARTH FOR THE PEOPLES OF EARTH~ WE VOTED TO LEAVE BUT NOW ONE LIKES THAT IDEA AND OUR TRYING TO ORCHESTATE US BACK TOO UNWARRENTED CONTROL OF OUR OWN DESTINY OF OUR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN’S CHILDREN! IT’S JUST CHOICE!

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