PM ‘will not quit and may lead Tories into snap poll’

THERESA May could lead the Tories into a snap election despite her pledge to quit, the party’s deputy chairman said yesterday.

James Cleverly insisted the Conservatives do not want an election, but acknowledged the party was now preparing for the possibility following months of Brexit deadlock.

Tory backbenchers yesterday warned they could try to block a general election if Mrs May attempted to call one.

It came as a poll suggested Tory infighting over Brexit had put Jeremy Corbyn on course for Downing Street. The Deltapoll survey for the Mail on Sunday put Labour on 41 per cent – five points ahead of the Tories on 36.

This would translate into Labour winning 307 seats – 19 short of a majority – with the Conservatives on 264. Mr Cleverly said his party had started ‘sensible, pragmatic planning’ for an election.

Asked whether they were prepared, he told Sky News: ‘Look, I’ll be completely straight with you. We have got a minority government in a turbulent time so just in terms of sensible, pragmatic planning, but we are not seeking or preparing in that sort of sense.’

Mrs May told Tory MPs last week that she was prepared to step aside next month if her Brexit deal finally gets through Parliament.

But she was silent on what would happen if it failed and the country was plunged into a long Brexit delay that could spark an election.

Mr Cleverly suggested that a Tory leadership contest might not be possible if a snap election were called, as the process ‘takes a period of time’.

Asked whether Mrs May could lead the Tories into another election, he said: ‘Well, that is the inevitable possibility.’

One Cabinet minister also predicted Mrs May could try to cling on in the event of a snap poll, saying: ‘No one wants an election and, if we do end up in one, no one wants her to lead us into it. But if it came at short notice, and she wanted to do it, how could we stop her? Draw lots in the Cabinet?’ Under the rules of the FixedTerm Parliaments Act a prime minister can no longer call a snap election without the approval of Parliament.

However, an election could come about if Mrs May loses a formal confidence vote in the Commons.

She could also call an early election if she can secure a two-thirds majority for it in the Commons.

But yesterday a string of MPs on both sides of the party suggested they would try to vote down any attempt by Mrs May to go the country early.

Former Tory Cabinet minister Sir John Redwood said: ‘Conservative MPs will not vote for an early general election.’ Fellow Brexiteer Andrew Bridgen said: ‘We are not going to allow her to call an election unless we have left the EU – we would be wiped out.’

Pro-Remain Tory Antoinette Sandbach also rejected the idea, saying: ‘The answer is not a general election, and I would vote against it.’

Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson said his party was ‘gearing up for an election’.

He told BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show: ‘ I’ve spoken to Jeremy [Corbyn] last night. He’s putting us on election footing.

‘I’m going to be talking to our NEC [National Executive Committee] members later today, because obviously we need to reselect our sitting MPs ready for a general election.’

‘How could we stop her?’