'British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit' - Theresa May makes statement in Downing Street

Theresa May has made a statement in Downing Street following her survival of no confidence vote earlier this evening.

'British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit' - Theresa May makes statement in Downing Street

Update - 10.14pm: Theresa May has made a statement in Downing Street following her survival of no confidence vote earlier this evening.

Speaking in Downing Street, the Prime Minister said: “This evening the Government has won the confidence of Parliament.

“Overwhelmingly, the British people want us to get on with delivering Brexit.

“I believe it is my duty to deliver on the British people’s instruction to leave the European Union and I intend to do so.”

“In a historic vote in 2016 the country decided to leave the EU. In 2017, 80% of people voted for parties that stood on manifestos promising to respect that result.

“Now, over two and a half years later, it’s time for us to come together, put the national interest first and deliver on the referendum.”

Mrs May attempted to put pressure on Jeremy Corbyn in her statement.

She said she had held “constructive” meetings with Mr Cable, Mr Blackford and Ms Saville-Roberts and would meet MPs including the DUP on Thursday.

She added: “I am disappointed that the leader of the Labour Party has not so far chosen to take part, but our door remains open.”

Update - 9.22pm: Theresa May is to make a statement in Downing Street at 10pm, following her survival of no confidence vote earlier this evening, a Number 10 spokeswoman has confirmed.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman also said she would meet with eurosceptic MPs in her own party, who accepted an invitation, on Thursday.

Theresa May during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons this evening. Picture: UK Parliament/Mark Duffy
Theresa May during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons this evening. Picture: UK Parliament/Mark Duffy

Earlier - 'British public must have final say': Mayor of London as Theresa May survives no confidence vote

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said he is "deeply disappointed" about the outcome of this evening's no confidence vote in Theresa May.

The Britsh House of Commons narrowly voted against a motion of no confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May by 325 votes to 306.

Following the result of the vote, Sadiq Khan tweeted:

“Deeply disappointed that Conservative MPs have put political interest above the national interest tonight.

“The Govt needs to withdraw Article 50 immediately. If we cannot have a general election – the British public must have the final say – with the option to stay in the EU.”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, raising a point of order after the vote, said: “Last night the House rejected the Government’s deal emphatically.

A week ago the House voted to condemn the idea of a no-deal Brexit.

“Before there can be any positive discussions about the way forward, the Government must remove clearly once and for all the prospect of the catastrophe of a no-deal Brexit from the EU and all the chaos that would come as a result of that.”

DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds said the result of the vote “shows the importance” of his party’s confidence and supply agreement with the Conservatives.

“DUP votes once again make the difference,” he wrote on Twitter.

Mr Dodds said the “result of the motion of no confidence illustrates the importance of the confidence and supply arrangement that is currently in place” between his party and Theresa May’s Conservatives.

He said: “I’m always delighted when our opponents illustrate the strength of that relationship that we have, and what is delivering for Northern Ireland.

When the people of Northern Ireland see the investment in education, in health and infrastructure they will thank this Parliament and this party and this Government for that extra investment.

A number of Labour MPs then held their hands in the air and rubbed their fingers together, in reference to the extra investment promised to Northern Ireland in exchange for the support of Mr Dodds’ party’s 10 MPs.

He said the agreement was “built on delivering Brexit”, adding that he is looking forward to “working in the coming days to achieve that objective”.

Former Green Party leader Caroline Lucas called on Jeremy Corbyn to hold a second referendum after his confidence motion failed.

In a clip posted to Twitter, the Brighton Pavilion MP said: “The leader of the opposition was right to try to bring down this toxic, failing Government. But now MPs have had their say on the Brexit deal, he needs to give the people a say over our future relationship with our nearest neighbours.”

Ms Lucas added that to do otherwise would be a “betrayal” of the “majority of his party’s members” and young supporters who were unable to vote in the referendum two years ago.

Theresa May’s official spokesman has since said that the Westminster leaders of Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the SNP and Plaid Cymru had been invited to meet Mrs May later tonight.

However, a no-deal Brexit will not be taken off the table, despite Mr Corbyn’s insistence it was a prerequisite for talks, he added.

The spokesman said: “The Prime Minister has been very clear that the British public voted to leave the European Union.

“We want to leave with a deal but she is determined to deliver on the verdict of the British public and that is to leave the EU on March 29 this year.”

Asked by a reporter if he was “taking no-deal off the table in response to the opposition leader”, he replied: “I am not.”

Earlier: Arlene Foster has said she had a "useful discussion" with Theresa May and confirmed the party will support the Prime Minister in Wednesday's confidence vote.

The DUP leader said she had indicated during a meeting in London, which was also attended by the party's Westminster leader Nigel Dodds, that her party "will act in the national interest".

She added that the issue of the backstop, the main sticking point for the DUP in Mrs May's rejected Withdrawal Agreement, "needs to be dealt with and we will continue to work to that end".

In a statement issued after the meeting, Mrs Foster said: "These are critical times for the United Kingdom and we have indicated that first and foremost we will act in the national interest.

"Lessons will need to be learned from the vote in Parliament.

"The issue of the backstop needs to be dealt with and we will continue to work to that end."

She confirmed the party will vote in support of the Government "so that we can concentrate on the real challenges ahead of us".

There will be "further engagements in the coming days", she added.

Earlier Mrs Foster said she would urge the Prime Minister to go back to Europe and seek a better deal, and called on the Irish Government to help find solutions to Brexit.

She also claimed there had never been a hard border on the island of Ireland.

She told Northern Ireland-based U105 radio: "For those of us who lived on the border and who were attacked by the IRA, we know that the IRA escaped across that border so it was not a hard border, nobody wants to go back to that.

It takes the will to look for solutions and the regrettable thing is the Republic of Ireland has not been in the solution-finding mode.

"I hope that they are now, I hope that our Prime Minister uses that vote last night to go to Europe and to look for a better deal."

The DUP's 10 MPs voted against Theresa May's draft EU Withdrawal Agreement on Tuesday.

The opposition had focused on the backstop, an insurance policy to avoid a hard Irish border after Brexit.

- PA

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