Cameron’s political career uncertain

LONDON: Prime Minister David Cameron is Britain’s most popular major party leader and his Conservative Party the most trusted on the economy after helping revive it. But win or lose the knife-edge election this week, his career hangs by a thread.

If he loses, it’s over instantly. And even if he wins but doesn’t secure an overall majority, which opinion polls suggest no party will achieve, he could face a leadership challenge from inside his party before too long.

A descendant of King William IV, Cameron, who came to power in a coalition with the centre-left Liberal Democrats in 2010, says he wants to serve another five-year term “to finish the job” of fixing the economy. He plans to deliver an EU membership referendum, which he hopes will cure his country and party of its Eurosceptic angst.

But if he doesn’t get the Conservatives re- elected on their own, with their first overall majority in the House of Commons for 23 years, he may struggle to serve out a full term.

“The Conservatives are very hard-nosed,” Greig Baker, a former Conservative staffer said. “If Cameron can deliver them ministerial red boxes, he’ll survive the election. But his long-term prospects are very bleak. The party has never loved him.”

Tim Bale, author of a history of the Conservative Party, says Cameron faces a rough ride from his party even if he keeps the keys to 10 Downing Street.

“If he manages to hang on to Number 10 I think they’ll forgive him for a couple of weeks,” said Bale. “Then it could be difficult.”

On Friday, in a slip rivals said showed he put his own fate before country, Cameron described the election as “career-defining”. He was almost certainly right.