Jeremy Corbyn’s cross-party talks to stop a no-deal Brexit have broken up, with opposition leaders and MPs releasing a statement saying they ‘agreed on the urgency to act together to find practical ways to prevent no deal, including the possibility of passing legislation and a vote of no confidence’. The Labour leader opened the meeting by saying he would prioritise legislation, rather than a vote of no confidence, which will be kept as a last resort.
Calling a vote of no confidence in the first few days of Parliament sitting next week might have been a dramatic way of Corbyn trying to show that he was serious about stopping a no-deal exit and that he does really want a general election, but it is also very unlikely to have succeeded. For the Conservative MPs who might consider the huge step of voting against their government, it would have come too soon, as they would rather see whether there is likely to be a deal before turning against their party.
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