Well, nothing in theory. However, history tells us that they rarely last – in part because it can be extremely difficult to run an efficient government that’s reliant on support from other parties. As a result, minority government leaders often end up calling another general election to try and clinch themselves a majority again.

This happened in 1974, when Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson helmed a minority government for just seven months before calling another election. Another Labour PM, James Callaghan, ran a minority government for eight months between 1978 and 1979 before he was forced (by a vote of no confidence) to do the same thing.

The last party to run a minority government in the UK was the Conservatives under John Major, for five months between December 1996 and the May 1997 general election.

Of these minority PMs, only Wilson was able to secure a majority by calling another general election – and even then only by a tiny majority of three MPs. Callaghan and Major were defeated in landslides, by Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair respectively.

So if we do get a minority government, we could be heading to the polls again sooner than expected.

This article has been updated. Images: Rex Features

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