Will there be a new political party after the General Election?
With polling suggesting a Tory landslide and a thrashing for Labour, there are rumours that a new political party could emerge from the rubble.
Up to 100 Labour MPs are said to be quitting if Jeremy Corbyn clings on as leader after the predicted election defeat, although they are predicted to remain members of the party.
However, with the Tories in power and Labour remaining a party of the hard left under Mr Corbyn’s tenancy, a space on the centre ground remains – and a new faction may be formed.
According to Vince Cable, the one time Business Secretary and Liberal Democrat grandee who is standing once again as an MP for Twickenham, this is a very real possibility.
However, he thinks it all depends on how the Lib Dems perform in the election.
He told the Huffington Post: “It depends what happens to us. I’m not predicting that.
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“I think we will do much better. But how much better I can’t say.”
Explaining what could happen if Mr Corbyn refuses to quit as leader if Labour loses, Mr Cable said that Labour moderates who are unhappy with the direction of travel would have no choice but to leave.
He added: “I cant see how they can possibly stay.
“Some of them may just drop out, which is what they have been doing in the last six months.
“I would have thought some of them will feel they have to make a stand.”
Mr Cable, who joined the newly-formed Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1982 after he quit the Labour Party, insisted that forming a new party was “possible”.
He said: “We’ve had one experiment 30 years ago, I was a foot soldier in their civil war, so I have some recollection of it.
“It is actually quite difficult to fundamentally recreate political parties in that way.
“But as I say, politics is more unpredictable now than it has been.
“I think this election is predictable. But the political structure is unpredictable.”
Recent polling puts the Tories on 48% – 20% more than Labour and putting Theresa May into landslide territory.
Top pic: Rex