The Brent Central MP told Robert Peston that if the new Conservative leader could beat Keir, he would have to be put to the test at the ballot box. Ms Butler, who served as a minister in Gordon Brown’s government, criticized the… Tory leadership candidates, who claimed they stood on “promises” they had not been elected to.
The 2020 Labor deputy leadership candidate added that the candidates’ promises were not what people voted for in the last general election.
She said: “Can I say that the public has been tormented for a long time now.
“And if anyone thinks the public isn’t tormented, they haven’t been paying attention.”
On this point, Steve Baker, Conservative MP for Wycombe, who was also a guest of Robert Peston, chimed in with the steadfast European inquiry, arguing that internal squabbling within the Labor Party was also unpleasant to watch.
He said: “It’s good that they don’t look too much at the internal politics of the Labor Party.”
Ms Butler continued with the former shadow secretary of state for women and equality arguing that a general election was needed.
She said: “As I said, polls have shown that none of the candidates who will become the leader and then prime minister will defeat Keir.
“Then we just have to put it to the test and have a general election.
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In practice, this means that the Prime Minister has the right to call general elections at the time of their choice.
This reverses the position under Parliament’s fixed-term law, where Parliament could vote on possible general elections.
Cameron’s government justified holding the Conservative/Lib-Dem coalition together for five years to tackle the austerity measures.
Two snap general elections were held in 2017 and 2019, both dominated by Brexit.
Though Parliament voted against an election a number of times before the support of Lib Dem and SNP allowed the 2019 general election to go ahead.
Under current law, a poll must be held before Friday, January 24, 2025.