Seven reasons why Theresa May will not call a General Election in 2017 despite Brexit legal defeat

POLL fever has gripped Westminster for the third time in less than two years with bookies slashing the odds on there being an early general election called next year.

But save your money folks. It won't happen.

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Sure, the High Court's dramatic Article 50 ruling yesterday has significantly ratcheted up the stand-off between Theresa May and Parliament.

And while dampening down election speculation, the PM has indeed left the option open with comments that always leave her wiggle room – such as "I don't want", or "there shouldn't be" one, not a definitive "there won't be".

But all the judges did was increase the chances of a 2017 general election from 5% to 7.5%.

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Here are seven reasons why, privately, the PM really doesn't want one:

• Nationwide polls are hugely destabilising for the economy. Markets hate uncertainty, and there is nothing more uncertain than not knowing who'll be in charge of the country. However unlikely, what will the prospect of Prime Minister Corbyn do to the Pound?
• The long awaited constituency boundary changes will give the Tories an extra 25 seats. But they don't come into effect until 2018, so it's well worth any Tory leader waiting for that first.
• Theresa needs the prospect of calling a general election still up her sleeve in case can't get her negotiated deal through the House of Commons in 2019. That will be a far bigger fight than how to trigger Article 50, and she can't call two general elections in as many years without looking very weak.
• Elections are always risky prospects, no matter how far ahead any one party may be in the polls. Staying in the EU had a 15 point lead a year ago. Electorates don't like being consulted unless really need to be, so voters may turn on the PM if they think she is playing games. They are also volatile and unpredictable these days - as David Cameron (and Hilary Clinton) will testify.

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• An election may be impossible to actually call. Under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, the PM no longer has the power to pop down to Buckingham Palace and ask the Queen for a dissolution. Instead, she needs a majority of MPs to vote for one - in the bizarre form of a no confidence vote in her own government. As we know, she has no majority in the Commons when it comes to Brexit, so MPs may block it just to make a fool of her.
• A general election now would be fought over what type of Brexit we should ask the rest of the EU for. Theresa May still doesn't know what type of Brexit she wants. If she refuses to tell MPs, what on earth is she going to say to the country during a four week election campaign?
• The biggest reason of all: an election now will split the Conservative Party in two, so big is the bitter divide now over Brexit and what it should look like. Probably a formal split. Every Tory leader for the last 30 years has been desperate to ensure that didn't happen under their watch. Theresa sure doesn't want it to be on hers.

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I've just said much of this on Radio 4's Today programme.

As I left the studio, a text message arrived from a senior Cabinet minister, that read: ";Absolutely spot on in the analysis of the situation".

Thank goodness for that.

Because the truth is, the last thing the nation needs now if yet another incredibly divisive election.

We've already had two in the last 18 months. We the people have had our say.

Now it's time our politicians stop preaching and start looking for the middle ground, come together, and heal.