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The Change Coalition is not in the bag, we could still be looking at a confidence and supply deal rather than seeing the LibDems in government. If the Tories are unwilling to offer PR and the wider LibDem party blocks a deal without it, all bets could be off. Krishnan Guru-Murthy (C4 News) has sketched out a very different scenario which would follow Gordon Brown quitting:-

The process this would involve is so convoluted as to make it almost certainly impossible – but the theory goes that Gordon Brown resigns as Labour leader but not as prime minister, while Harriet Harman as caretaker leader negotiates with Nick Clegg. This would be on the basis that David Miliband will stand unopposed by any serious candidate as new Labour leader, so that the Lib Dems know exactly who they would go into government with eventually.

Once the deal is done Gordon Brown goes to the palace and advises the Queen that the caretaker Harriet Harman can form a government with the Lib Dems, then once Labour has its new leader in place she goes to the palace and advises the Queen that Miliband will be taking over as prime minister.

Guru-Murthy admits “it sounds either so mad as to be unworkable, or so intricately thought through as to be plausible. It also requires Ed Balls and Ed Miliband to give up their hopes of Labour leadership.” That is a big if…