Tag: snap election

“Some people weren’t exactly arguing in favour, but were saying it could be the least worst option.” Stephen Parkinson, May’s political secretary and a former Vote Leave organiser, and Robbie Gibb, the Downing Street director of communications, were named as the main voices considering whether to take May’s deal to the people. There is also the possibility that the party could be plunged into a general election by accident if May’s government falls in a vote of no confidence and parliament is unable to find an alternative leader with a majority within 14 days. However, over the weekend, May was quickly confronted with warnings that the Tory party is in no way ready for an election, in terms of money, organisation, the backing of her own MPs or support in the country. If you are a Conservative MP with anything other than a massive majority, you do not want one.” He said polls and byelection results suggested May’s address to the public lambasting MPs had initially not gone down badly, but any benefit of that had been lost by the indication that she would stand down if her Brexit deal was passed. Several Downing Street advisers rejected the often repeated suggestion that they operate in a bunker and argued that their plan has always been about listening to the public. “The country, government and parliament has to find a way through. The pressure really needs to be on those people, and particularly the Labour party. In fact, they say she is listening closely to the views of Gavin Barwell, her chief of staff, and “JoJo” Penn, the deputy chief of staff and her longterm adviser, who are of a softer Brexit persuasion than some of their colleagues and concerned about the impact of a snap election. And one Tory MP pointed out that it might suit the prime minister to threaten an election in a last-ditch attempt to bring Eurosceptics to heel, but it would certainly not be good for her legacy to be the prime minister that not only lost a majority, mishandled Brexit and split the Conservative party for good, but handed the keys to No 10 to Jeremy Corbyn for a decade. He tweeted after the 2016 referendum: “Proud that my home town [Croydon] and the great city of which it is part rejected the politics of hate and division yesterday.” Joanna Penn May’s most senior female adviser has been with her since the Home Office and is known to have the prime minister’s ear.