A Fixed-term Parliaments Act must be restored, so election dates suit the national interest – not the prime minister’s
There should be a general election now. The agony of British politics is growing too much to bear. The morbidity of the Tory government is too obvious. Whether or not Labour’s Keir Starmer in Downing Street is what Britain most needs is irrelevant. Barely one voter in five supports the present Tory government. Starmer may enjoy the support of barely half the electorate, but that appears enough to bring about a change of regime. If this is to happen, then the sooner the better. There is no national interest in delay.
The concept of fixed terms of office is familiar to most forms of democratic government. The normal term is five years. All power ultimately corrupts, and even the most popular leader should lay down the rods of office after a period of time and allow fresh blood its opportunity. The British constitution requires only that parliament seek re-election within five years, with MPs free to decide who should be ruler and for how long. Prime ministers can call elections whenever within five years they think is best for them – one reason for some parties’ past longevity in office. By the time both Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair had been in Downing Street for 10 years, they were showing signs of destructive exhaustion.
Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist
