Theresa May ruled out a snap election and it can be revealed Tory MPs had begged the Prime Minister NOT to go to the country in an early poll. West Country Conservatives — who routed the Lib Dems from the south west in 2015 — feared a fresh contest so close to the Brexit vote could give the pro-EU party a foothold, putting the PM’s 17 seat majority at risk. [The Sun]

With Liberal Democrat membership doubled, fundraising edging ahead of Labour and dramatic council-by election gains most weeks, not to mention Witney and then Richmond Park, it’s easy to see why so many Conservative MPs are worried about losing their seats.

One item notably missing from that list, however, is a sustained significant opinion poll bounce. Liberal Democrat poll ratings have edged up, and the party is not far off consistently over-taking Ukip. But the ratings are still stuck in the low double digits on average, an issue which Matt Singh looked at in the latest Liberal Democrat Newswire.

For the mechanics of how an early election can, and can’t, be triggered see my post explained the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act.