What is a vote of no confidence? Could Jeremy Corbyn spark a general election after Brexit deal vote? How does it work?

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Jeremy Corbyn has tabled a vote of no confidence in the government after Theresa May's humiliating defeat on her Brexit deal.

The confidence vote would allow the Commons to “give its verdict on the sheer incompetence of this government”, the Labour leader said in a speech following the result.

MPs voted to reject the Prime Minister’s controversial proposals by an enormous margin of 432 to 202, the biggest government defeat in history, on Tuesday night.

As he tabled the confidence vote, which will be debated tomorrow, Mr Corbyn said the government must now accept that a no-deal Brexit is not an option.

Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn tabled a no-confidence motion in the Government 
AFP/Getty Images

Take a look at what the motion and what it means:

What is a vote of no confidence and how is the motion tabled?

The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 removed the rights of governments to arbitrarily call elections when they want.

Under the Act, early general elections can only take place outside of the usual five-year timeframe in two ways.

Firstly, if two thirds of all MPs vote in favour of an election. Secondly, if an NCM, which must read "That this House has no confidence in Her Majesty's Government", is passed in the Commons.

The House of Commons
PA

Erskine May - the rule book for the Commons - states that the Government will promptly allocate time for a NCM in the Government to be debated when it is tabled by the official opposition.

What happens when a vote of no confidence is passed?

When a motion of no-confidence in the Government is passed, a 14-day countdown begins.

If a motion of confidence, which must read "That this House has confidence in Her Majesty's Government", is not passed within 14 days then a general election will be called.

According to the House of Commons' website: "The Act provides no guidance on what happens during the 14-day period following a no confidence motion under the Act being passed.

"As the Clerk of the House told us what happens during this period is a matter of politics, and not of procedure."

Under pressure on Brexit: Theresa May
EPA

However, it adds: "If the House of Commons were to resolve by whatever means that it has no confidence in Her Majesty's Government and it cannot be recovered, the Prime Minister loses their authority to continue with their administration and must resign and leave office as soon as an alternative Prime Minster is available."

Mrs May could reach out to other parties in the hope of winning the confidence motion within 14 days.

However, if 14 days elapses without an alternative Government being formed or the existing one continuing, then the Queen will set a date of an early election.

House of Commons

When have confidence votes been tabled before?

The last time a government was defeated on a confidence motion was in 1979. The Labour government led by Jim Callaghan lost the opposition motion on March 28 1979 by just one vote, 311-310. Mr Callaghan immediately announced a dissolution of parliament and a general election, which was subsequently won by the Conservatives.

Since 1900 there have been only three occasions when a government has lost a vote of confidence: twice in 1924 and once in 1979. There have not been any confidence motions formally tabled in the House of Commons since 1993.

The most recent example was on July 23 1993, when the Conservative government of John Major tabled a motion of confidence in itself, to shore up support following its defeat the previous day on the Maastricht Treaty Social Chapter. The government won the motion 339-299.

In November 1994, Mr Major, who became Sir John in 2005, made the passage of the European Communities (Finance Bill) "in all its essentials" an issue of confidence, but no confidence motion was formally moved by the government or opposition.

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