Conservative MPs are privately concerned that Boris Johnson’s call for a general election is a gamble that could easily backfire.

Brexit 'do or die': what are Boris Johnson's options now? Read more

Following Theresa May’s failed bid to win a majority in the 2017 general election, there are nerves about advocating another national vote upon a fatigued electorate near to Christmas.

One MP said the move, if successfully portrayed by Labour as a political stunt, could reinforce an image of Johnson as sneaky and untrustworthy.

Under the 2011 Fixed-term Parliaments Act, Johnson needs 434 MPs to vote for a general election – two thirds of sitting MPs. He will be relying upon a majority of Conservative MPs to vote in favour of an election if he is to win on Monday.

An MP from the centre of the parliamentary party said the move was a “smoke and mirrors” trap that was meant to fail and anticipated that Labour would reject an election. However, it could easily backfire with some liberal voters, the MP said.

“This latest move is not intended to be a successful bid for an election. If it was going to be successful, at least 30 of my colleagues would vote against it,” the MP added. “I worry that the public will look at the government and say, ‘Why on earth are they farting about and trying to ruin my Christmas with an election when they have just won a vote on the Brexit bill? Where have they found these six weeks for an election when they don’t have time to discuss Brexit legislation?’

“The miscalculation here is that the PM might be popular, but he is not trusted. And this manoeuvre, if the public don’t buy it as genuine, might reinforce the impression that he is sneaky, untrustworthy and too clever by half.”

Another MP said his parliamentary colleagues were in “two minds” as to whether the move was a good idea, but added that most hoped Jeremy Corbyn would back down from whipping Labour MPs.

“The 2017 experience has scarred the party. We had a big lead and look what happened. Corbyn has shown that he can do it on the stump, even if we take into account that his brand has tanked somewhat.”

Two former Conservative MPs who were removed from the party for voting against a no-deal Brexit have confirmed they will not vote for a general election.

Several Scottish Tory MPs have also voiced fears about calling for a winter vote before Brexit has been delivered.

One Scottish party source said: “This would not wash with our voters. I hope my colleagues are right when they say that we won’t get an election. We go for a vote in the spring, when a deal has been done.”

Some senior Tories are concerned that Johnson will struggle to portray an election as a fight for Brexit, given that the withdrawal agreement bill was passed by MPs this week at its second reading.

Paul Goodman, the editor of the influential website ConservativeHome, wrote on Thursday that going for an election was a high-risk strategy for Johnson.

“ConservativeHome is very cautious about making a dash for the line now, especially on the basis of a claim about the bill that doesn’t necessarily stand up.

“To win, the party probably has to win a mass of northern and Midlands seats to make up for losses in London and the south. Is it really likely that the Tory campaign can, say, decapitate Tom Watson in West Bromwich, as the party aims to do, without Brexit having been delivered?” he said.

Goodman, a former MP and party adviser, wrote that the Brexit party could gain seats from the Conservatives if an election was called before the bill had passed in to law.

“To our mind, Nigel Farage complaining that the Conservatives have yet again failed to achieve Brexit sounds more persuasive than him complaining that it has achieved a version he doesn’t like. And the Brexit party factor will matter in a campaign: after all, its rise coincided with the fall of Theresa May,” he said.

If Labour reject Johnson’s offer of a general election and his motion fails to pass, the government looks set to go on strike.

The prime minister’s spokesman said: “Nothing will come before parliament but the bare minimum. We will pursue a general election every day from then onwards, and do everything we can to get it.

“The prime minister wants to get his deal done by 31 October. If this parliament is unwilling to vote for a deal, then we will have to go for a general election. If there were a general election called, we would campaign on the fact that we’ve got a great deal that will get Brexit done.”