DUMP THIS UNLOVED LEGACY OF FAILED LIB DEMS

TRUDY HARRISON’S historic by-election triumph yesterday exposes what must be a frustrating paradox gnawing at the heart of the Government.

The new Tory MP for Copeland has proved that her party is now capable of making spectacular gains in previously rock-solid Labour territory.

Under Theresa May, the Tories are threatening to dominate the political landscape in a manner unseen since the height of Margaret Thatcher’s popularity. This week, an ICM opinion poll suggested the party is enjoying its biggest lead over Labour since 1983. The 18-point gap is phenomenal for an administration nearing the mid-point of a parliamentary term.

Yet the arrival of Ms Harrison at Westminster next week will only increase the Government’s working majority to a slim 16.

Mrs May has faced warnings about potentially damaging Tory revolts over business rates and education funding in just the last few days. She might reign supreme in the country but at Westminster she is struggling to rule. While she has a referendum mandate to press ahead with leaving the EU, she faces a battle to pass other significant legislation.

Westminster would be abuzz with speculation about a snap election were it not for one major obstacle to the Prime Minister heading to Buckingham Palace to ask the Queen to dissolve Parliament. The Fixed-Term Parliaments Act has enshrined May 7, 2020, in law as the date of the next general election. Only a distracting parliamentary fight to repeal the Act or win a two-thirds majority for the poll could bring that date forward.

This unloved legislation, a relic of the Lib Dems’ spell in power as part of David Cameron’s coalition government, blocks the Prime Minister from seeking the mandate and majority her popularity suggests she deserves. It also keeps the floundering Jeremy Corbyn in place. The next election still seems too far away to force Labour to get rid of an ineffective and unelectable leader.

The Fixed-Term Parliaments Act means we now have a popular Government that struggles to rule and an official Opposition that is not up to the job. It is time to scrap this worthless piece of gimmickry.