Tories dismiss general election after Keir Starmer claims party no longer has mandate to govern

Ministers last night opposed opposition parties’ demands for immediate general elections.

Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer claimed the Conservative Party “has shown that it no longer has a mandate to govern” and called for the public to have a chance to choose the next prime minister.

But the Tories will hold out against the question after recent polls suggested they would face electoral ruin.

The latest poll, released Monday afternoon, put Labor ahead of 36 points – the highest lead ever recorded by a party pollster.

If the result is repeated in a general election, the Conservative Party would have fewer MPs than the SNP and several ministers would lose their seats.

Over the past two weeks, however, the Tory party has been in such disarray that some of its own MPs are calling for elections, with one back seater yesterday saying he was “ashamed” of his “rebellious colleagues”.

Christopher Chope told Times Radio: “The Conservative parliamentary party has proven in recent hours that it is ungovernable. I am ashamed of the way my abhorrent colleagues have in fact destroyed another prime minister and leader of our party.

“I don’t see now that we can give any reasonable answer other than calling an immediate general election… What we need now is a new mandate from the people.”

Earlier this year, the Parliaments Act was repealed for a limited time, meaning that elections are no longer limited to every five years.

The government is currently under no obligation to call elections before January 2025, although the most likely date for a national vote is May 2024.

But if repeated prime ministers fail to maintain the support of their parliamentary party, preventing them from passing laws in the House of Commons, they will face pressure to call elections to get a mandate to govern. to win. The most likely mechanism would be a vote of no confidence. If a majority of MPs votes in favour, general elections are held.

While MPs are unlikely to vote against the government when their seat is at stake, senior Tories won’t test the king’s patience as the chaos in Westminster damages the UK’s reputation on the international stage.

Opposition parties demanded that the next Tory leader call elections as soon as they are elected, claiming the chaos in Westminster was unacceptable as the country faced a recession and a cost of living crisis.

Sir Keir said: ‘The Tories cannot react to their latest mess by simply clicking their fingers again and shaking the people at the top without the consent of the British people.

“They have no mandate to let the country undergo another experiment. Britain is not their personal fief to run as they please. The British public deserves a good word about the future of the country.’

He insisted that Labor was ready for a vote, adding: “There is a manifesto that will be ready when elections are called.”

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: ‘We don’t need another Conservative Prime Minister swinging from crisis to crisis, we need general elections.’

Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said general elections are a ‘democratic imperative’. Calls for a general election have been heightened by Liz Truss’ decision to move so far from the manifesto on which Boris Johnson was elected in 2019.

But leveling Secretary Paul Scully said, “People have elected a government, this is not a presidential system.

“Of course Labor wants a general election, but what you will find is that when the… [Conservative] Party gets their strong leader, in the end it becomes what Labor has to offer.’