Rishi Sunak has just come closer than ever before to revealing the exact date of this year’s General Election.
At Christmas he ruled out holding it in January 2025 – the last possible date it could be called – however today he further clarified Britons should not expect to go to the polls this Spring.
In the face of mounting speculation he may dissolve parliament much earlier than expected for a snap election, the PM just told journalists that his “working assumption” is that he will hold a “general election in the second half of this year”.
October or early November has often been the most popular predicted election timing.
The move closes down the growing demands by Labour and the Liberal Democrats for an election as soon as possible.
It will also help the PM avoid accusations of ‘bottling it’ should he have failed to call the vote in May, an accusation that saw Gordon Brown’s popularity plummet in 2008.
The announcement undermines Labour’s Emily Thornberry, who claimed over Christmas that it is an “open secret” in Westminster that the Tories are planning a May election.
She told Sky News that the election date is “the worst kept secret in Parliament”.
She clarified: “We’re likely to be heading for a May election, and this Budget date seems to confirm that.”
The Spring Budget was announced for March 6, around a week earlier than usual, leading some to suspect it had been brought forward because of an impending election.
Responding to the announcement, LibDem leader Sir Ed Davey accused him of “running scared”.
He said: “Squatter Sunak is holed up in Downing Street, desperately clinging on to power rather than facing the verdict of the British people”.
“We need an election in Spring, so that voters can finally get rid of this appalling and out-of-touch Conservative Government.”
More to come…
