New Times,
New Thinking.

  1. Politics
25 November 2008

Speculation about speculation

Rumours of a June election just won't go away. But who is talking up a 2009 poll?

By Martin Bright

Some interesting speculation from the Spectator’s boy wonder, James Forsyth, about the Brownites pushing for a 2009 election.

Forsyth quotes from Anne McElvoy’s front page story from Friday’s Evening Standard. McElvoy reports a source from the Brown camp telling her: “He would be mad not to think about it.”

Forsyth’s theory is that the source is Geoffrey Robinson, the co-owner of this magazine, who is interviewed by McElvoy in the same issue of the Standard. Who knows, he may be right?

Ingeniously, Forsyth links this piece of informed speculation to my speculation in last week’s New Statesman. I quoted a former Cabinet minister who spent a long time at the Treasury saying: “Gordon has to get the Obama visit out of the way then call an election. There really is no other option.” But Geoffrey Robinson was never in the Cabinet, so it can’t be him.

Election fever. There’s a lot of it about.

Select and enter your email address Your weekly guide to the best writing on ideas, politics, books and culture every Saturday. The best way to sign up for The Saturday Read is via saturdayread.substack.com The New Statesman's quick and essential guide to the news and politics of the day. The best way to sign up for Morning Call is via morningcall.substack.com
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how Progressive Media Investments may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
THANK YOU

Content from our partners
The death - and rebirth - of public sector consultancy
How the Thames Tideway Tunnel is cleaning up London
The UK has talent in abundance. We need to nurture it