article_snippet: provided Ed Miliband does not secure a decisive victory.
article_snippet: Cabinet colleagues, including George Osborne and Michael Gove believe that continuity at the top will be essential if there is a prospect of a second general election.
article_snippet: The last leader of a major party to cling on after defeat was Neil Kinnock in 1987.
article_snippet: In this scenario, some senior ministers fear a major party could be plunged into a destabilising leadership battle in the run-up to a second election that could take place as early as the autumn.
article_snippet: provided Ed Miliband (right) does not secure a decisive victor .
article_snippet: Current polls suggest that neither Labour nor the Conservatives will secure an outright majority in May – raising the prospect of either another coalition or a period of minority government.
article_snippet: the Conservatives argue that ditching the Lib Dems would allow a major party to govern properly, and free up 23 ministerial jobs to aid party management.
article_snippet: One David Cameron ally said: ‘If there is an opportunity to govern without going into coalition, we would seize there is an opportunity to govern without going into coalition.
highlights_snippet: George Osborne and Michael Gove believe continuity at top is essential if there is a second election .