Who was our most popular PM?

Close encounters

The last time a parliamentary election in Britain was tied was in 1886 in Ashton-under-Lyne, when Liberal and Conservative candidates both won 3,049 votes. As was the practice at the time, the returning officer was allowed a casting vote, and he opted for the Conservative, John Addison. If it happens again (which won’t be in Ashton-under-Lyne, where Angela Rayner has a majority of 4,263) the outcome will be decided by random means such as drawing straws – as happened in a 2017 Northumberland council election.

– The closest margin in modern times was in North East Fife in 2017 when the SNP candidate Stephen Gethins won by two votes.

Heat

The Green party co-leader Carla Denyer admitted that her home does not have a heat pump and is still heated via a gasboiler – though she is in the process of obtaining quotes. How many people have taken the plunge?

– According to the Heat Pump Association, Britain has 412 heat pumps per 100,000 of the population, which suggests there are around 275,000 installed in UK homes, 1% of the total.

– The number grew by 36,799 last year, according to the government.

– The mean cost of an air source heat pump installed so far under the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme is £13,318 (before the grant was taken into account). The mean cost of a ground source heat pump is £27,532.

– The Green party manifesto promises £9bn over five years to fit UK homes with heat pumps – or £320 per household.