WHAT'S THE STORY?
JEREMY Corbyn has written to the Cabinet Secretary, asking him to clarify Whitehall’s General Election rules.
The move follows reports that Boris Johnson could try to push through Brexit in the middle of a campaign in a bid to thwart MPs trying to block a No-Deal break.
HOW COULD THAT HAPPEN?
Opposition parties are expected to table a no-confidence motion in the Government when MPs return to Westminster in September.
Nicola Sturgeon has hinted at a potential tie-up between the SNP and Labour to "lock the Tories out of government".
But she said Corbyn would need to take "a very firm anti-Brexit position" before any deal could be struck.
Sturgeon also ruled out a full-blown coalition between the two parties as she condemned the Labour leader's approach to Brexit since the 2016 EU referendum.
If the Government loses a no-confidence motion, under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act (FTPA), the Commons has 14 days in which to pass a motion of confidence in either Johnson’s administration or a new alternative government.
If it fails to do so, there has to be a General Election.
WHEN WOULD THAT TAKE PLACE?
Following the dissolution of Parliament, there must be at least 25 working days before polling day; however, the actual timing is down to the Prime Minister.
Dominic Cummings, Johnson’s top adviser, is said to have told him he should delay voting until after October 31 by which time – as it stands – Britain will be out of the EU, with or without a deal with Brussels.
Polling expert John Curtice has said an early General Election would produce an increase in the number of SNP MPs.
He said: "The SNP are dominant up here. There will be more SNP MPs than there are at present, the Liberal Democrats are at 18%, there’s something like a 10% swing from Conservative to Liberal Democrat. Any Tory MP who is sitting on a majority over LibDems of less than 20% is vulnerable – 40, 50 Liberal Democrat MPs is possible."
READ MORE: Top pollster John Curtice says SNP will gain seats at next election
HOW HAVE THE OPPOSITION PARTIES REACTED?
WITH outrage.
In his letter to Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, Corbyn said it would represent “an unprecedented, unconstitutional and anti-democratic abuse of power” by a Prime Minister.
The Labour leader argued that the Civil Service “purdah” rules governing elections state that any policy decisions where an incoming government might be expected to take a “different view” should be postponed until after polling day.
He said a Labour Government would never support a No-Deal Brexit and would certainly want the opportunity to take a different view.
Sturgeon said a No-Deal Brexit "would be a leap into chaos and confusion".
SO IS THAT THE END OF IT?
THE Cabinet Office said Sir Mark will respond to Corbyn’s letter “in due course”.
However, leading constitutional expert Professor Vernon Bogdanor argued that, even if the UK were to “leave” during an election campaign, it would not necessarily be the end of the matter.
He said a new parliament could – with the agreement of the EU – vote retrospectively to extend the withdrawal process beyond the end of October.
If that were to happen, it would be deemed that Britain had not in fact ever left and was still an EU member state.
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