The government must file a motion of confidence in itself after rejecting a version of Labor that directly criticized Boris Johnson.
The unexpected move will force Conservative MPs to support the government, but it will make voting easier as it will not constitute a endorsement by the prime minister.
“Workers had the option to present a direct vote of censure to the government in accordance with the convention, but they chose not to do so,” a government spokesman said.
“To remedy this, we present a motion that gives the House the opportunity to decide whether it has confidence in the government. The government will always give time to the proper issues of the House, while ensuring that it offers parliamentary business to help improve the daily lives of the people. “
The prime minister’s press secretary later added that Johnson planned to open the debate before Monday’s vote. He insisted that the Labor motion, including the distrust of the commons in the prime minister, “did not make good use of parliamentary time”.
Sign up for First Edition, our free daily newsletter, every weekday morning at 7:00 BST
A Labor source said the decision was “crazy” and they hoped it would be counterproductive. “I’m not sure Conservative leadership candidates or marginal MPs will appreciate it,” they said.
Labor reacted furiously on Tuesday night when Downing Street refused to give Parliament time for the motion it had tabled. The long-standing convention is that if the official opposition leader files a motion of censure, the government takes time to debate and vote.
Conservative whips said the Labor motion fell outside the scope of the convention in identifying Johnson. However, Labor said the motion had been dictated by order by House of Commons secretaries. He noted the 1965 no-confidence motion, which the prime minister mentioned.