Theresa May to face party vote of no confidence

Mrs May faces a grilling in the House of Commons at weekly questions on Wednesday ahead of secret ballot

epa07223899 British Prime Minister Theresa May walks together with German Chancellor Angela Merkel (unseen) at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, 11 December 2018. British Prime Minister Theresa May postponed the Brexit deal Meaningful Vote, on 11 December 2018 due to risk of rejection from Members of Parliament. Theresa May is currently on a whistle stop tour of Europe calling on the leaders of the Netherlands, Germany and EU in Brussels looking for new guide lines for her Northern Ireland backstop. EPA/FILIP SINGER

British Prime Minister Theresa May will face a vote of no confidence from her party on Wednesday. EPA

The National
Dec 12, 2018
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• Live updates: Is this the end for British Prime Minister Theresa May?

British Prime Minister Theresa May will face a vote of no confidence in her leadership from her Conservative party on Wednesday over her handling of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.

Mrs May will address her party's MPs on Wednesday evening between 18:00 and 20:00 local time (22:00 and 00:00 UAE time) where they will then vote on her future.

The vote was triggered over outrage at the Prime Minister's cancelling of a vote on the withdrawal bill - an agreement on the terms of the UK's exit from the EU - on Monday, saying she will return to Brussels to seek further assurances on key articles.

At least 48 letters from MPs saying they do not have confidence in the Prime Minister were sent to Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee - a Conservative party organisation for MPs - formally triggering the vote.

Conservative MPs will now vote on whether they want to keep Mrs May as the leader of their party.

If Mrs May loses the vote, she will be forced to resign and an internal party leadership election will be held.

British Home Secretary Sajid Javid pledged his support for the Prime Minister, saying a Conservative Party leadership election would be "self-indulgent and wrong".

Mrs May will face a grilling in the House of Commons at midday on Wednesday (16:00 UAE time) during weekly Prime Minister's Questions. She will face Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and field questions from MPs on both side of the house.

Mrs May met with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday to discuss the backstop arrangement, which subjects Northern Ireland to EU regulations if the UK leaves the EU with no deal.

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