Why Labour is hesitating to pull the trigger on a vote to remove Theresa May
Some Labour MPs believe their political enemies want the party to table a vote only to lose it and weaken Jeremy Corbyn.
Tuesday 11 December 2018 18:38, UK
Ever since Keir Starmer said it was "inevitable" that Labour would table a no -confidence vote in Theresa May if she failed to win support for her Brexit deal, the chatter in the corridors of power has been when, not if.
But even before the prime minister decided to delay the meaningful vote this week, Labour has been backing away from immediately triggering the process, which could ultimately lead to a general election.
This may seem strange, given Jeremy Corbyn is happy to confirm at every opportunity that he would like to fight a general election.
Yet a Labour spokesman confirmed to Sky News today that there are no plans to bring a vote, unless the time is right.
So when would be the right time?
Strangely enough, the answer to that question could lie with the Democratic Unionist Party, Mrs May's Commons allies, rather than the prime minister herself.
Labour insiders know they can't win a no-confidence vote unless they have the DUP on side, and while the prime minister is racing around Europe trying to win concessions on the Northern Irish backstop they're holding their fire.
The DUP and others want Mrs May to remove the backstop from the withdrawal agreement entirely, if she can do that then her plan stands a chance of squeaking through the Commons.
She is, however, very unlikely to achieve this because Brussels does not want to open up the agreement all over again.
Disappointment for those demanding big changes seems inevitable.
Despite this, the DUP has promised it would support Mrs May if a no-confidence vote was moved against her because, sources say, they fear a Jeremy Corbyn government and want to prevent it at all costs.
On top of this, Labour doesn't want to blow its chances of removing Mrs May from office by losing a confidence vote and uniting her party behind her in the process - after all, even critics of her deal have vowed to back her if she were challenged.
Some within the Labour Party also believe their political enemies want the party to table a vote, only to lose it, weakening Mr Corbyn in the process and pushing the party closer to backing a second referendum.
There's also the chance that Mrs May could be toppled by her own party, angry at her decision to delay the crucial Brexit vote, leading some to call for the Labour leader to hold back.
The result is a Labour Party hesitating to pull the trigger on a vote to remove the prime minister, fearing the result if it loses, and a prime minister held precariously in office by the DUP on the promise of a better Brexit deal.
The only certainty is time is running out on all sides, and someone will have to make a decision at some point.