Mike Wood: No appetite among Labour MPs for snap General Election

Jeremy Corbyn is expected to trigger a vote of no confidence in the Government if Theresa May's Brexit deal fails to pass a Commons vote in the coming weeks, in a bid to send the country to the polls for the third time in four years.

But according to Conservative MP Mike Wood, it is a move that would be welcomed by few MPs on either side of the House.

"In the current position the country is in, there is no need for a General Election," the Dudley South MP said.

"There is absolutely no appetite among MPs – particularly the vast majority of Labour backbenchers – for an election.

"Some of them are fully aware they would be defending small majorities at a time when everyone's focus should be on getting Brexit through."

A new election is not due until 2022, but Labour's leadership made a snap poll its priority at last year's party conference.

Mr Corbyn's policy has put him at odds with many of his MPs, who want Labour to back a second Brexit referendum.

The Labour leader, who has been a Eurosceptic during his time in the Commons, insists that the Government should secure a new deal with the EU if MPs reject Mrs May’s agreement.

Mrs May faces a major battle to get her current deal through Parliament, with Mr Wood among a number of Tory MPs set to oppose it in its current form due to concerns over the Irish backstop element.

Mr Wood said: "The majority of the deal does respect Brexit, but I could not support anything which could see us locked indefinitely into the backstop provisions.

"Talks [with the EU] have been ongoing over Christmas and the New Year, so by the time we have the vote the situation may well be different."