Britain: no election?

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33527, 7 May 1974, Page 17

Britain: no election?

<N Z P A -Reuter —Copyright) LONDON, May 6.

Inconclusive voting in the London boroughs has convinced the analysts that there is little chance of Britain’s Prime Minister (Mr Wilson) calling a snap General Election next month.

In the balloting last week for more than 1800 council seats in 32 London boroughs, the- Opposition Conservative Party made a net gain of 116 seats and Mr Wilson’s ruling Labour Party showed a net loss of 135.

Before the voting, it had been forecast that a good showing by Labour would increase Left-wing pressure on Mr Wilson to call an election in June, in the hope of winning a bigger Parliamentary majority. The results are expected

to ease the pressure, leaving October or later as the likeliest time for a national vote.

Some observers believe that the situation is a blessing in disguise for Mr Wilson. They argue that it gives him a built-in protection against internal party splits on the familiar Left-Right lines.

At the same time, it is pointed out that Labour’s losses are not to be taken too seriously, since its sweeping gains in local elections in 1971 made some setbacks inevitable this time. In the latest voting the Liberal Party gained 15 seats but were thought by commentators not to have done as well as in the General Election.

The next test of electorial opinion comes tomorrow, with local voting in Scotland.

Summing up last week’s results, observers say that neither Labour nor the Con-

servatives are in a safe position to precipitate an early election.