Corbyn announces plan to stop no-deal Brexit

Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, outlined his plans to end Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government and to stop a no-deal Brexit.

With the clock ticking down until the UK's current departure date from the European Union on October 31 and with Johnson vowing to leave even if there is no transition deal in place, British lawmakers across the political spectrum are scrambling to thwart a potentially economically disastrous outcome.

What is Corbyn's plan?

• Labour will call for a vote of no confidence against Johnson's government "at the earliest opportunity."
• Should Johnson lose the vote, Corbyn would be installed as a "strictly time-limited" caretaker prime minister.
• As the UK's new leader, Corbyn would then secure another extension from the EU, pushing back the divorce date again.
• Corbyn would also call for fresh elections, saying Labour would campaign to hold a second Brexit referendum with the option to "remain."

Read more: Boris Johnson saves trickiest Brexit challenge, Northern Ireland, for last

Would lawmakers support the move?

Johnson's Conservative-led government currently has a majority in Parliament of just one seat. There are also several lawmakers among the Conservatives who said they could vote to end Johnson's government in order to avoid a no-deal Brexit.

What is less clear is whether there is enough support among lawmakers to back Corbyn as the interim leader, even as a time-limited caretaker leader.

What happens after a no-confidence vote?

If Johnson's government were to lose a no-confidence vote in Parliament, lawmakers would then have 14 days to try and form a new administration. Should they fail to do so, a general election would then be called, which could be held after the October 31 deadline.

Read more: Will Brexit be worse for women?

No love for no-deal

A no-deal Brexit means the UK would immediately leave the EU at the end of October without an agreement on smoothing the transition. The UK would no longer be part of the single market or belong to EU institutions such as the law enforcement agency Europol. The scenario also leaves a big question mark over what to do at the Irish border.

Opponents say such a scenario would be disastrous for Britain's economy, damage global growth and significantly weaken the UK's standing in the world. Supporters of no-deal argue that there would be economic disruptions, but that it would provide a break from the bloc and later benefit the economy.

rs/rt (dpa, Reuters)

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.