British Prime Minister Theresa May gestures as she speaks during a no confidence debate after Parliament rejected her Brexit deal, in London, Britain, January 16, 2019, in this screen grab taken from video. Reuters TV via REUTERS/File Photo

LONDON (Reuters) - A national election is the worst thing Britain could do now and would mean delaying Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday before a no confidence vote in parliament.

May said she was confident the government would win the vote, which was called by opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn after May’s proposed Brexit deal was rejected by a large majority on Tuesday.

“I believe (an election) is the worst thing we could do, it would deepen division when we need unity, it would bring chaos when we need certainty and it would bring delay when we need to move forward,” May told parliament.