Mr Hawkins made his remarks in a blog circulated after Mrs May warned MPs they were “reaching the limits of this process in this House”, widely perceived as a hint that she may seek to go to the country. He said: “Understandably the media this weekend was brimming with speculation about the likelihood and possible consequences of going to the country. “Of course anything is possible, but here are seven reasons why the Conservatives would be extremely unwise to call a General Election.”
Firstly, Mr Hawkins said an election was unlikely to break the deadlock, pointing to the latest Election Prediction by Martin Baxter at www.electoralcalculus.co.uk which leaves the Conservatives some 19 seats short of a majority, with around ten fewer MPs than they currently have.
And even if it did change anything, Mr Hawkins suggested it was unlikely to favour the Tories.
He said: “The last time Theresa May led a General Election campaign she frittered away a 20 point-plus lead.
“Moreover, around two-thirds of Conservative voters voted to leave the EU, so why would they vote for the Party when many of its MPs are seen to have tried to frustrate that outcome?”
Theresa May has been warned of the risk of calling a general election (Image: GETTY)
Mr Hawkins also said of all the possible next steps for Brexit, a general election was the least popular with the public, according to a ComRes poll
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