Election will not be in nation’s interest says prime minister at start of New York visit

Theresa May has ruled out the idea of another general election before Brexit day, saying it “would not be in the national interest”.

Speculation about the idea of an autumn election to break the Brexit deadlock within the government has increased since the prime minister’s Chequers plan got a cool reception from EU leaders in Salzburg.

And at Labour’s party conference in Liverpool this week there have been repeated calls from John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, and other senior party figures for a swift election to allow the public to say whether they are happy with May’s Brexit negotiations.

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But asked by reporters en route to New York for a UN summit whether she could guarantee that there would not be another election before Brexit next March, the prime minister responded: “What I am doing is working to deliver a good deal with Europe in the national interest. It would not be in the national interest to have an election.”

Whatever May’s confidence, and despite the seemingly tight timetable, the guarantee is not entirely in the prime minister’s gift, as events could push her into having to call an election.

If May’s Brexit plan were to be turned down by parliament that could be seen as an expression of no confidence significant enough to merit an election. Similarly if May were forced from office by a mass of cabinet resignations over Chequers, or through a formal motion by Tory MPs, a change of prime minister could also be seen as a trigger for a general election.