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MPs have voted for a Christmas election on December 12 tonight, putting Brexit on ice for now.

Politicians will go back to the people with the hope of securing re-election so they can finally break the deadlock in Parliament in six weeks' time.

 MPs are set to head to the polls in around six weeks
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MPs are set to head to the polls in around six weeksCredit: PA:Press Association

THE SCENE: A RISKY GAME

Boris Johnson's gamble is high-risk, given he's been forced to delay Brexit for a third time despite repeatedly promising he would not.

If he manages to convince voters he did everything possible to stop it, he may be able to secure a majority.

For months the PM has resisted delaying Brexit, and has insisted it's Parliament - not him - who has been forced to break his vow to leave on October 31.

Will voters believe him and give him the majority he needs?

STRATEGY: The polls have him storming ahead of all the other parties for now - putting the Tories on track to be the largest party.

And he's been preparing for months for a snap poll, pumping out election-friendly messages on the NHS, police and schools.

The party has been quietly gathering funds too - Boris is more than ready for a snap poll.

PROBLEM 1: BREXIT PARTY THREAT

However, the Brexit Party will be hot on Boris heels, trying to convince voters that the PM isn't to be trusted after he accepted a third delay to Brexit.

They will be campaigning for a No Deal Brexit - and will likely seize a huge chunk of the Tories vote.

STRATEGY: Boris' job will be to fight them off and insist that Nigel Farage and his crew can't get Brexit done - but he can.

PROBLEM 2: DESPERATE REMAINERS' LAST CHANCE

And on the other side, the Remainer parties the SNP and Lib Dems will be fighting tooth and nail in this election.

It's their last chance to secure more seats to try and stop Brexit.

If Boris wins a majority the Lib Dems' power play in Parliament will be over - resigned once more to the fourth-biggest party in British politics.

However, if they succeed in hoovering up Remain votes in Tory areas, they could hold they balance of power in a hung Parliament.

Would Jo Swinson work with Labour or the Tories in coalition like her predecessor Nick Clegg did?

STRATEGY: Boris will be hammering the message that the Lib Dems and SNP don't want Brexit and only he wil respect the wishes of the people in an upcoming vote.

He'll argue that his deal is the best to get Brexit done and finally move on to the matters they care about.

PROBLEM 3: WINTER POLL

A winter poll will be a challenge for all parties.

As Britain turns to Christmas, few members of the public will be focusing on an election and will have their attention on nativity plays, present-buying and decorating the tree.

The cold weather will likely put campaigners off pounding the streets to knock doors, and will stop many Brits from answering the door at all.

But with the wonders of modern campaigning, such as social media and on the phone, politicians will probably get around that to some extent.

Corbyn's huge rallies may be affected as the public choose to stay indoors - but the party faithful will likely be out and about no matter waht.

Some fear the cold weather would also affect the turnout on polling day.

While the weather is currently too far away to be able to accurately predict, Britain is on course for a cold winter.

It could put people off from coming out to vote for either party on polling day itself, meaning turnout could be down across the board.

 

There's very few elections to look back at in the winter months to see if this is true.

But generally as the weather gets worse, the turn out does drop.

Any really bad weather such as snow, storms or power cuts could have an awful affect, but it's really too early to tell.

STRATEGY: As the weather is still so difficult to prepare, it's hard to see what can be done at the moment to make sure the vote gets out.

Boris' best hope will be to keep rallying his troops, pouring his heart and soul into the campaign... and probably invest in a thick coat too.

 

Jeremy Corbyn responds to December election result

 

 

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