Purdah – that stretch of time between the calling of an election in the UK and the announcement of the results – is now in full swing in Whitehall. The Government is reduced to something of a “night-watchman” role, avoiding any initiatives which might favour a particular party or unduly bind the hands of the incoming administration. While purdah is referred to in the “Ministerial Code”, its real force – like much in Westminster’s political life – comes down to the observance of convention. Last week saw the leak to The Telegraph of a record of a conversation between the French Ambassador to the UK and the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon. It was alleged that the First Minister had said to the ambassador that she would prefer