PM set to announce that there will be no early election.

[LyraSilvertongue]

I always thought he'd be mad to risk losing the premiership so soon after waiting 10 years to get it.

No-one care? Oh well.

Got hidden in all the scrapping, Lyra.

Where did you hear that?

I have been told that the announcement he made about tropp reductions in iraq was supposed to be made next week in the commons and he told the media a week early - even other ministers didn't know he was going to do it.

So much for his promises in the early days that he would not do spin.

"In future, under a Gordon Brown regime, we need to have no spin, no briefing, no secrets, and respect for Parliament" (Harriet Harman, Leader of the House of Commons and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, BBC Newsnight, 29 May 2007).

yeah right

I'm a journalist and am at work. It's keeping me very busy (not too busy to MN though ).

Ahh, OK. Will that be announced today or on Monday when Parliament reconvenes?

We're expecting the announcement any time now but Downing Street are refusing to confirm or deny.

Will keep an ear out for that then! Thanks

I'm not surprised really. It's quite likely they would get voted out.

Do you work for the Torygraph?

There's a new poll which puts the Tories 6 points ahead of Labour.

hurrah, thank the lord for that

No, not Torygraph

Oh yes

sorry, that was in reply to your post about the poll!

It is just one poll though. Others put Labour 6 points ahead.

think they have more or less announced it now..too bad blow from the tory ocnference

The polls will all be different in a week's time.

Damn. Dh usually works as a Poll Clerk for elections, and we were looking forward to the extra money ()

Me too. I get paid extra for going to an election count.

He'd be mad to go early given the polls. November not a good time from a turn-out point of view - dark evenings etc.
DP and I wondered why someone as intelligent as Gordon Brown would let himself get manoevered in this way then we thought maybe it was a deliberate ploy to flush out the Tory's 'best' policies (eg the Inheritance Tax) so they have nothing new to offer when he finally does call an election.

I agree, thought he was mad to risk it but I think it will really damage him now not to go for it. Smacks of Tony control freakery about when he was going to step down. Also, house prices risky atm imo and he is architect of all that. Should there be any rise in interest rates and a subsequent crash it will be curtains.

Also, honeymoon well and truly over after playing games with the troops in Iraq

It's been confirmed now. No election this year or next.

wheresmysuntan - that's interesting - hadn't thought of that.

Ooh that's interesting, wheresmysuntan. Do you think that the Tories might be able to formulate a whole new policy by 2009?

You never know what they might get up to. I have to say I have found all the 'holier-than-thou' stuff by the tories about how we didn't elect Brown so he should call an election somewhat hilarious given they thought it was perfectly ok when Major took over from Thatcher. Back then people really were voting for her rather than for the Tory party whereas many people fully expected to get Brown anyway.
Anyway glad I don't have to decide how to vote just yet - not that it makes any difference around here in a safe true blue seat