Corbyn tables a motion of no confidence in May – will it backfire?

After an afternoon of will-they-won’t-they over Labour’s threat to table a motion of no confidence, Jeremy Corbyn has told the Speaker he will do just this. However, where earlier reports suggested the no confidence vote would be in the government, it will now be in Theresa May herself. This is important because a confidence motion in the Prime Minister personally has no legal or constitutional force – were May to lose it she would not need to resign. It is also up to the government whether they make time for it – they don’t have to. Given that Labour have no opposition day debates left to set the agenda, it could just not happen.

The Labour leader’s decision to do this comes after a bizarre afternoon filled with contradicting messages from party figures. After Andrew Gwynne insisted on Sunday that Labour wouldn’t consider tabling a motion of no confidence in the government until after the meaningful vote, the party appeared to change tactic this afternoon.