International

Corbyn says May is leading ‘zombie government’ ahead of no confidence vote

The leader of the United Kingdom’s Labour Party on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Theresa May is leading a “zombie government” after her Brexit plan was overwhelmingly defeated in Parliament a day earlier.

Reuters reported that Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour Party, suggested the government call for a new general election. The comments came just hours before May faced a no-confidence vote.

“If a government cannot get its legislation through parliament, it must go to the country for a new mandate,” he told parliament. “There can be no doubt that this is indeed a zombie government.”

{mosads}The Parliament’s lower house, the House of Commons, voted 432-202 on Tuesday to reject May’s Brexit plan in one of the biggest defeats for a prime minister in recent British history. The result clouded how the U.K. would leave the European Union, and had some lawmakers calling for May’s government to be replaced.

The Guardian reported that May is expected to survive Wednesday’s no-confidence vote. She won the backing of her fellow Conservatives last month to remain the leader of the party after some party members forced a confidence vote in her leadership.

The deadline for the United Kingdom to exit the EU is March 29 after voters said in a 2016 referendum that they wanted to leave the continental body.

May’s tenure has been marked by disagreements over how to handle Brexit, with some detractors arguing that her plan does not separate enough from the EU and others calling for a new referendum.