Jeremy Hunt: General election the 'last thing voters want'

The Health Secretary told the BBC's Andrew Marr that the Prime Minister was right to not want to set out her negotiating strategy to Parliament

Jeremy Hunt (Getty)

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said an early general election is the “last thing” voters wanted, as he moved to play down speculation that the high court ruling on Article 50 could force Theresa May into an election next year.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said that Labour could force a general election if access to the sinle market was not guaranteed, but Mr Hunt told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show that the Prime Minister was right not to reveal her strategy for her negotiations with the EU.

"The impact on the economy will be far worse if through some Parliamentary mechanism Theresa May is forced to lay out her entire negotiating strategy,” he said. "The Government has said that it's highly likely that Parliament would ratify any deal that was agreed about the terms of our exit. "For people worried about the impact of Brexit on the economy or whatever else it is, the damage to the fabric of our democracy would be far, far worse if people felt the establishment was trying to unpick a decision that was made.

"I think a general election is frankly the last thing the Government wants. Theresa May wants to get on with the job and frankly it is the last thing the British people want, with all these very, very important national decisions. Because of that I think it is highly unlikely that Parliament would not, in the end, back a decision to trigger Article 50."

Labour’s Tom Watson told the BBC’s Jon Pienaar that Labour’s support for triggering Article 50 was ‘unequivocal.’ Mr Hunt also defended the right of newspapers to criticise judges in the wake of severe criticism of the Daily Mail’s front page story calling the three judges ‘Enemies of the people.’

Mr Hunt said: "There are plenty of times when I haven't liked the tone of the Daily Mail, there are plenty of times I don't like the tone of the BBC but that is democracy. I would defend to the hilt the right of newspapers within the law to write what they like and to criticise politicians."