Founding Partner James O\'Keefe has written this guest blog for the smarta.com website.

He will be joining a post-election webchat with smarta members tomorrow (Friday 7th May) at 1pm.

Please join the discussion: http://www.smarta.com/advice/webchats/election-special-shaa-wasmund-and-james-okeefe

GOD intervenes in choice of PM

This is how The Sun headline could read on Saturday morning. A story is gently bubbling away under the surface which if we have an uncertain result tomorrow will be unleashed in an almighty ash cloud.

Gus O’Donnell – known simply in Whitehall as GOD is the Cabinet Secretary. In the event of a Hung Parliament where Kingmaker Nick Clegg becomes a reality it is the Cabinet Secretary who has decided the rules of engagement between the Party Leaders. OK this is mildly interesting but its hardly front page news? Well true…until you add in one devilish detail: In the event of a Hung Parliament the incumbent PM has the right of first refusal to attempt to form a Government – irrespective of the relative arithmetic. There is a sound constitutional basis for this which ensures that the country always has a Government in place - so a sitting PM cannot resign until a new PM in waiting has been identified.

But politically it’s a bad break for David Cameron. And it seems his advisers have only just noticed. Back in March whilst they were busy planning their campaign O’Donnell presented his plan to a Parliamentary committee. That committee had Conservative MPs on it of course, but back in March they weren’t expecting a Hung Parliament. Oops.

Of course this will never make the news at all if there is a clear or even clearish result tomorrow. But given this campaign who would be surprised of another twist.

A cheerier note for David Cameron to end on which is another convention would give him the last laugh. In the event PM Cameron does emerge, it is Gordon Brown himself as the sitting PM and the Monarch’s principal adviser who will communicate this to the Queen. So Brown’s last words as PM could be the name of David Cameron.