UK: May's Brexit government survives no-confidence vote

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) - Fresh off Tuesday’s humiliating defeat in a vote on the EU Brexit agreement, Prime Minister Theresa May’s government has survived a motion of no confidence with the backing of 326 MPs.

Almost all Conservative MPs backed May’s government Wednesday even though 118 of them voted against the Brexit deal yesterday.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the government’s de facto partner and Northern Ireland’s biggest party, also voted for May’s government, helping it survive the test.

The Labour Party, Scottish Nationalist Party, and Liberal Democrats all voted against the government. The total number of MPs who had no confidence in the government was 306.

The motion of no confidence was called by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in the wake of Tuesday’s historic defeat of 432-202.

The defeat was the worst ever for a sitting government in British history.

The debate in the runup to Wednesday’s vote saw calls for a second Brexit referendum and a general election from every corner of the House, but the prime minister categorically rejected both.

On Monday May is expected to brief parliament on the government’s next move on Brexit by revealing steps for a Plan B.

The U.K. is set to leave the EU on March 29, 2019.