One of the important things I got wrong about the Fixed Term Parliaments Act was, while I understood its legal ramifications, I hadn’t fully grappled with the political dimension: while, in theory, the Fixed Term Parliaments Act gives the opposition party a veto over whether to call an early election, in practice, the Opposition can’t ever pass up an opportunity to defeat the government, no matter how bleak the political situation may look.
There is no justification that any Opposition leader will ever be able to give to turning down an early contest should the executive want one.
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