Ming’s Take on an Autumn Election

There’s a one-in-six chance there’ll be a general election this autumn, according to LibDem leader Sir Menzies Campbell, who gave a short speech at the summer party of the Liberal Democrats in PR on the terrace of the National Liberal Club in London this evening. The date campaigns guru (Lord) Chris Rennard is urging MPs and activists to pencil into their diaries is Thursday 25 October, if Gordon Brown feels that opinion polls justify the risk of going to the country in order to get a post-Blair mandate. Of course, this might not happen — indeed, the odds still are that it won’t — but it’s better to be prepared than be caught off-balance.

Ming himself was looking distinctly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (doubtless partly because of Schadenfreude at David Cameron’s recent miscalculations). He had another good innings at Prime Minister’s Question Time earlier today and seems in prime condition to tackle whatever is ahead.