Anything goes in today's politics

1995 library filer of Chris Moncrieff. Photo by Peter Smith/PA

It is a possibility. Some say it is a probability. And others even believe it is a racing certainty.

But I would caution anyone tempted to risk their life savings on what they regard as “a racing certainty” to think long and hard before they lay any bets.

The fact is politics is in such a topsy-turvy state at the moment, there can be no such thing as a safe bet.

For instance, whoever thought Jeremy Corbyn would win the Labour Party leadership, and then cement his position at a later challenge for the post? Even his foolish sponsors were shocked this happened.

And who really believed the referendum last June would produce a Brexit victory by a reasonably substantial majority? Or that Donald Trump would ever reach the White House?

Indeed, Corbyn has opened Labour’s campaign in ebullient style, saying he loves every minute of it. But he is not helped at all by the likes of Tony Blair, who appears to take every opportunity he can to denigrate Labour’s leader. Those at the top of Labour’s tree should tell him to shut up if he cannot be supportive.

The Prime Minister herself faces the inevitable criticism of having performed a U-turn in calling a snap election, after having said there would be no election until 2020.

But she reached the conclusion that some of the Remainers were hampering her negotiations with the EU over Brexit. She believes a bigger majority in the Commons will put a stop to spoiler tactics by those who seem unable to accept they lost the referendum.

Meanwhile Tim Farron, pictured, who leads an army of eight other Liberal Democrat MPs, claims the Tories are getting their “betrayals” in early. What he means is, the Conservatives have already declined to issue promises about taxation levels and pensions, for example, early in the campaign, in the hope that by the time polling day arrives, they will be forgotten about. Farron is probably right in that assumption. So, it is up to the opposition parties to keep banging on about these issues throughout the campaign to frustrate the Tories’ hope that people will not remember them.