Jeremy Corbyn has tabled a motion of no confidence in Theresa May over her handling of the Brexit deal vote.

The Labour leader made the declaration after the Prime Minister set the timetable for a Commons vote over her Brexit deal in January. 

Mr Corbyn tabled a motion of no confidence in the Prime Minister herself, not in the government as a whole.

Unlike a formal no confidence vote in the government, which would trigger a snap general election, the motion is not necessarily legally binding.

Mr Corbyn's decision quickly came under fire from the SNP.

Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: "Labour tabling a motion just in the PM rather than in the entire government begs the question, which Tory do they want to see as PM?"

Tommy Sheppard branded the move a "shoddy stunt".

It is now up to the government to schedule a debate and vote once the motion of no confidence has been officially moved, with Labour sources saying they would appeal to the government to hold it before Parliament breaks for Christmas recess on Thursday.

The party's chief whip Nick Brown reportedly told MPs tonight the party would escalate its bid into a full no-confidence vote in the government if it is not granted.

Commons showdown

Mrs May told the House that would have the chance to debate her Withdrawal Agreement in the week beginning January 7, the week MPs return to Westminster after Christmas recess.

The vote, which was previously postponed the day before it was due to take place, will be held the following week.

Mrs May urged MPs not to "break faith with the British people" by staging a second EU referendum.

She said a second vote would leave the UK "no further forward from the last" and would "divide our country" further.

However Jeremy Corbyn accused Theresa May of leading Britain into a "national crisis" over Brexit, as he warned her deal has lost Cabinet support.

The Labour leader said: "We face an unprecedented situation - the Prime Minister has led us into a national crisis.

"If any more evidence was needed of why we face this grave situation, the Prime Minister demonstrated it at last week's summit.

"There were some warm words drafted and the Prime Minister even managed to negotiate those away to be replaced by words about preparing for no deal."

Mr Corbyn said the "cold reality" was Mrs May achieved "nothing" last week after returning to Brussels to seek further assurances over the Irish border backstop.

He went on: "The deal is unchanged and not going to change. The House must get on with the vote and move on to consider the realistic alternatives."

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford later quipped "we thought the Prime Minister had reached rock bottom, but she's still digging".

He said: "After two years of negotiation the Prime Minister has designed a deal that she knows that she cannot deliver, it doesn't have the support of this House.

"It is time to call time on this Government, it is a laughing stock."

Mr Blackford ended his comments by calling on Mrs May to "stop operating in isolation" and meet with opposition leaders to discuss a way forward.

The Prime Minister said she was happy to meet with Mr Blackford, but warned they would have a "fundamental difference of opinion" on Brexit.

Mrs May hit out at suggestions the best course of action is to extend the Article 50 period to give herself more time to get a deal agreed.

Tory former minister Andrew Mitchell made the suggestion, saying it would be "wiser" than leaving with no deal.

But the PM replied: "I don't think it's right to be seeking that extension to Article 50."

She said: "I continue to believe we can leave with a good deal and that this is it."

Tory former minister Dame Cheryl Gillan told MPs that the campaign for a second Brexit referendum was nothing more than a "ruse to try and reverse the result".

Mrs May responded: "There was no suggestion when the referendum was put to the people in 2016 that there might be a second referendum. People were told, they were led to believe that their vote would be delivered by the Government."