what a possible stitch up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gordon Brown likely to stay in hung parliament

Unprecedented measures drawn up because of fears of a run on the pound

BY JACK BREMER

LAST UPDATED 2:33 PM, MARCH 31, 2010

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David Cameron's worst nightmare could come true. Even if the Tories win more seats than Labour at the upcoming general election, Gordon Brown could remain prime minister. Under contingency plans being drawn up by Cabinet secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell - Britain's senior civil servant - to prevent a constitutional crisis and a run on the pound in the evnt of a hung parliament, Brown could be given nearly three weeks to put together a coalition acceptable to the Commons.

The main purpose of O'Donnell's exercise is to protect the pound. There is concern in Whitehall and among economists that with Britain's triple-A credit rating under threat because of the size of the national deficit, an extended period of political uncertainty could lead to a total collapse of confidence in the economy.

Despite minor weekly fluctuations, all the major opinion polls taken in the past few months point to a hung parliament.

MPs normally sit again in the House of Commons six days after a general election when there is a clear majority. Under O'Donnell's proposals, if the result turns out to be as close as many polls predict, Brown would be given 18 days to try form a working coalition government with the Liberal Democrats and/or other minority parties - even if the Tories were to win most seats.

In another unprecedented measure, O'Donnell's plan also allows for the civil service to facilitate talks between Labour or the Conservatives and the minority parties on forming a coalition. Civil servants would not be allowed to provide policy advice, but they would be able to prepare papers showing where there is policy overlap, helping to speed up the process.

The O'Donnell plan is also designed to clarify the Queen's position. In the event of a hung parliament,if Gordon Brown was unable to form a workable coalition, and the Tories moved a vote of no confidence, then she would normally have to accept Brown's resignation, leading to an immediate second general election.

However, O'Donnell points out that under the so-called 'Lescalles Principles' laid out in 1950 by the then Chancellor for the  Queen's father, George VI, she is quite entitled to refuse the PM's request to dissolve parliament if a general election "would be detrimental to the national economy".

Whitehall sources have made it clear that while the Queen might take this step, she would not under any circumstances get involved in discussions between political parties.

Another proviso of the O'Donnell plan is that the current Chancellor, Alistair Darling, could remain in his job pending the formation of the government - even in the event that he has lost his parliamentary seat. 

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Filed under: Gordon Brown, Gus O'Donnell, General Election

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