DEBATE: Should a General Election follow the appointment of a new Tory leader and Prime Minister?

Should a General Election follow the appointment of a new Tory leader and Prime Minister?

Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London, says YES.

There is no constitutional requirement for anyone who takes over as Prime Minister to call a General Election, although one could be forced upon them were they to lose a vote of no confidence – something that can’t be completely ruled out in a hung parliament.

That said, an election might well be the right thing to do. At the moment, the government is hamstrung by the absence of a majority. If the election were to go well, it could escape the new Conservative leader having to rely on the Democratic Unionist Party.

And if it were to go really well and produce a comfortable majority, any new Prime Minister might even be able to tell the Tories’ very own awkward squad where to get off too. All this would probably make easier as well to negotiate the second phase of Brexit (presuming there is one) with the EU.

But it’s a gamble. If a new Prime Minister wants to take it, then they should do straight away – as Theresa May found, honeymoons don’t last very long.

John Oxley, a Conservative commentator, says NO.

Not only is there no constitutional need for an immediate election, but precedent points against it. Our system of government is that voters choose MPs, who select from among their number whosoever commands their confidence.

The new Prime Minister would then inherit the 2017 manifesto and business could carry on until 2022, as per the Fixed-term Parliaments Act.

A second election dominated by Brexit would be to the detriment of governance. The new parliament would be in place until 2024, despite being elected largely on a single-issue poll. It would only extend the policy inertia that Brexit has engendered.

The new Conservative leader might want to go to the country to secure their position in the Commons and their own party – but would the country answer? Most are bored of the Brexit wrangling, and deeply fed up with politicians. Few voters would relish another trip to the polling station.

After all, a General Election costs the taxpayers around £140m. Shouldn’t we spend that money on the NHS instead?