Team Boris hints at autumn election

AN EARLY general election this autumn is ‘almost inevitable,’ Boris Johnson’s team now believes.

The new Prime Minister has repeatedly insisted he does not want to go to the country for what would be a third time in five years.

But his aides have privately admitted they believe they could be forced into a poll as they attempt to deliver Brexit.

Iain Duncan Smith, who was Mr Johnson’s campaign manager, yesterday suggested preparations were now under way in Downing Street for an early vote.

He said: ‘Any Government worth its salt would prepare for that eventuality.’ Rishi Sunak, the new Chief Secretary to the Treasury, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘We live in a parliamentary democracy, you can never rule out general elections in that sense.’

Jacob Rees-Mogg, who is the new Leader of the Commons, suggested the ‘ parliamentary arithmetic’ could lead to another election.

He told ITV: ‘It is clearly not the policy of a government to bring on a general election, and it’s worth remembering that since the Fixed Term Parliament Act 2011, the Prime Minister no longer has the ability to call a general election willy-nilly, that was taken away from him.

‘And therefore I don’t see that being a government objective, but it’s impossible to rule out, looking at the parliamentary arithmetic.’

Under the Act, the Prime Minister could call an early election, giving six weeks’ notice, if two-thirds of MPs backed a Commons motion.

It could also happen if a motion of no confidence in the Government is passed by a majority of MPs and within 14 days an alternative government is not formed.

Speculation that an early election is on the cards has been fuelled by Mr Johnson filling his top team with experienced campaigners, including Dominic Cummings, who was the chief of Vote Leave.

Mr Johnson has staked his premiership on getting the country out of the EU on October 31 come what may. If he is unable to strike a new deal with Brussels, it is thought that rebel MPs could try to block No Deal in the Commons, which could precipitate an early election.

Professor Jon Lawrence of the University of Exeter said: ‘One suspects he’s likely to be tempted to risk calling an early election to take advantage of the apparent disarray in Labour. But this only makes sense if he can ... overcome the disarray in his own ranks.’