Corbyn Calls for a General Election.

It has come, and there is no way, Theresa May can cancel this vote. Before Christmas, as you may recall, Theresa May put her off her 'Brexit' deal vote until January this year because the vote would not get the backing of MP's in parliament.

Theresa May has asked the EU for help over this (but what they can do is limited), she has wined and dined opponents of her deal, offered some knighthoods etc, cajoled, threatened and begged for her colleagues from all parties to back her plan. She has even telephoned Len McCluskey of the union, UNITE, (Labour's biggest donors) to help but realistically, no one seems to be buying it. Some MP's may have changed sides at the last minute but by and large, it looks like her Brexit deal will be stillborn. In the light of May's deal suffering a heavy defeat today in parliament, what next?

There are many scenarios on the table, but, it is all speculation. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, despite calls from some in his party, has rejected the idea of another referendum, instead, it seems he is going to call for a vote of no confidence in Mrs May. If the vote of no confidence gets enough support, he hopes then to get a general election. Mr Corbyn admits himself, however, that Labour does not have enough MP's (apparently) to support on its own, a vote of no confidence and get it through parliament, so consequently, he has appealed for other MP's of other parties, including Tories, to join Labour in this vote.

Both May and Corbyn are living dangerously here, with May, it is the success or failure of her Brexit deal and with Corbyn, can he get enough support for a vote of no confidence, so in essence, both are gambling here. However, time is probably more on Corbyn's side, as he then has the option to back another referendum. While the cards are stacked against Mrs May, and her deal may well be defeated today, she has an uncanny knack of surviving such knockbacks. Mrs May, love her or hate her, right or wrong, has the tenacity to survive and come bouncing back. Then again so does Jeremy Corbyn, he has survived two leadership challenges and endured like May, a lot of mudslingings.

How today pans out for either leader will be interesting, debates are taking place right now in parliament, and, the vote will probably be 8.30 pm tonight.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) are the sticking plaster that holds the Conservative party in power. Called a 'supply and demand' coalition this agreement was reached with the Conservatives when the Tories were just about able to hang onto power by the skin of their teeth. The DUP were invited to join the Conservatives in government after the 2017 general election debacle, however, for their taking part in a government with the Tories, Mrs May had to bribe the DUP with a billion Pounds. That was the price the DUP was asking supposedly to benefit Northern Ireland and not the DUP party itself.

Arlene Foster, the DUP's leader, is a canny operator and will not take any rubbish from May, despite the coalition agreement. She has stated for the record that May's deal is a bad deal for Northern Ireland and consequently, for the whole of the UK too.

In Northern Ireland itself, the assembly at Stormont where both the DUP and Sinn Fein sat in government has been empty for ages. Both sides cannot agree on anything thus far that would make them come back into government with each other. You hear a lot about the American government shutdown because Trump cannot get funds for his wall from the Democrats, but, Stormont, the seat of Northern Irish government, has been closed well before the American version transpired.

The DUP will continue to support the Tories in government and will not support any tabling of a motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister.

However, it is expected they will join other parties in parliament to vote down May's Brexit deal tonight.