Theresa May managed to make history this week by breaking the record for largest government defeat. With no clear Plan B, speculation is rising that we could be heading towards an early election. This week Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill asked Whitehall chiefs to draw up contingency plans for a snap poll in the event that May decides to go to the country. Meanwhile, Tory MPs – including ministers – have warned their local associations to prepare for the prospect of a vote as early as next month.
As I write in the i paper, an election is a scenario that government figures now see as a potential way – if not a particularly desirable one – to break the deadlock. Visitors to CCHQ report that the prospect of an early election is being talked of. Not everyone is thrilled by the idea – ‘kill me now’, sighs one staffer.
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