At this critical time for our country, with only a few months to go before the UK leaves the European Union, the government has been immobilised by Theresa May’s failure.

Any other government would have fallen with the votes they have lost. And if the reports are true and May is planning to stand down before the next election, we in effect have a lame-duck administration.

May could offer to stand down before election to win support in confidence vote – politics live Read more

Far from the strong and stable leadership she promised, her premiership has been defined by division and disarray, or as she put it during the election “a coalition of chaos”.

She called a general election to win a bigger mandate, but instead lost her majority. She has negotiated a Brexit deal that breaks her own tests and doesn’t have the support of her own party or parliament. She tried to hide the legal advice that shows the backstop would be permanent, but had to publish it anyway after being found in contempt of parliament. She promised to bring the vote on her deal to parliament, but bottled it at the last minute. The crisis she faces is entirely of her own making.

Even if Theresa May survives this no-confidence vote, her credibility is shot. She clearly does not command a majority in parliament or a functioning government, and has no authority to negotiate with the EU, let alone govern our country.

She has already come back empty-handed from her brief tour of European capitals on Tuesday. So now there can be no more excuses and no more running away. She must admit that nothing has changed, put her botched Brexit deal before the House and let parliament have its say.

At prime minister’s questions today she repeatedly refused to confirm when the vote will take place. Already found to be in contempt of parliament, she is now holding the people of this country in contempt.

Whatever happens in a committee room in parliament this evening, when Conservative MPs cast their secret ballots, makes absolutely no difference to the lives of British people, and it does nothing to resolve the government’s inability to get a deal that works for the whole country.

Labour stands ready to govern in the interests of the whole country

If May manages to cling on, it will be a government in name only. As the clock ticks down towards 29 March, her weakness and the irreparable ruptures within her party are putting the future of our country at risk.

Even if May loses and is replaced, it is the same failing and divided Tory party that will remain – and the country will continue to suffer the consequences.

While the Tories are wrapped up their own internal machinations and the parading and peacocking of May’s potential successors, the governance of our country has come to a halt. Legislation is in limbo, while austerity continues to grind communities into the ground, public services are pushed to breaking point, and more people plunged into poverty and deprivation. Whoever ends up leading the Tories, their party has no answers to these deep rooted problems.

Regardless of whether May is ousted by her party, the facts of the situation will not change. This rotten government is too riven with division to unite parliament and the country to get a good deal that puts jobs and the economy first. It’s clearer now than ever that we need a general election to allow the people of our country to decide who they want to take our country forward.

Labour stands ready to govern in the interests of the whole country and deliver a Brexit that protects living standards and workers’ rights, and avoids a hard border in Northern Ireland.

• Jon Trickett MP is the Labour MP for Hemsworth and shadow Cabinet Office minister