|
|
The idea of a unity government has gained traction in Westminster since Boris Johnson lost his majority in the Commons and failed to trigger a general election.
Some believe that, if Mr Johnson is forced to resign because he is unwilling to comply with parliament’s instruction to extend Brexit negotiations beyond 31 October, the only way of forming a viable government would be through cross-party cooperation.
Mr Corbyn has backed away from his proposal that he could lead a temporary government to extend the Article 50 process and call an election, after other parties including the Liberal Democrats indicated they would not put him in Downing Street.
In BMG’s survey, some 34 per cent of those questioned said they would back a government of national unity (GNU) to block a no-deal Brexit, against 31 per cent who would oppose it and 20 per cent who neither opposed nor supported it.
When those who backed a GNU were asked to choose between a list of potential prime ministers to lead it, Mr Clarke and Mr Corbyn were each favoured by 15 per cent, followed by Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson on 11 per cent, Labour backbencher Hilary Benn (5 per cent), Mother of the House Harriet Harman, Green MP Caroline Lucas and Labour’s Yvette Cooper (4 per cent each) and former Conservative attorney general Dominic Grieve (3 per cent). [...]