Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out calling an early general election, confirming the next test of public opinion at the ballot box will not occur until 2029. He made the remarks in a series of interviews ahead of his first Labour conference as Prime Minister in Liverpool.
Mr Burnham said he wants to “draw a line” and focus on helping the public feel “a bit of hope in their lives”, rather than begin another divisive electoral cycle. His comments follow recent media reports suggesting close advisers were weighing up the prospect of an election as early as next year, after polling indicated Labour would remain the largest party, though short of a parliamentary majority, if a snap election were called.
Prime Minister dismisses election speculation
Asked by BBC West’s political editor Paul Barltrop whether he was tempted to call an election, Mr Burnham replied: “Not particularly. No, I’m not.” He added: “I see all the speculation and it just races ahead. The media love to do that. No, no election any time soon.”
The Prime Minister said he is focused on the job of governing and will lay out a major speech in Liverpool next week, which will detail the direction he wants to take the country. “The focus is on that: helping people with the cost of living, helping businesses with the costs of running a business,” he said, stressing these should be the priorities rather than “throwing the country into a backward-looking process where we are arguing again amongst ourselves”.
Asked by ITV Calendar’s Fred Dimbleby if the next election would be in 2029, Mr Burnham replied: “Yes, that’s when the next election will be. All of this speculation on an early election, I can knock that dead.”
Migration and Thames Water addressed
In the same round of interviews, Mr Burnham told BBC South East that the number of migrants crossing the English Channel illegally had been made worse by Brexit. “I do point to the loss of collaboration with neighbours that came with Brexit. That hasn’t helped,” he said.
He added that the Government would seek to stop crossings altogether, but declined to set a deadline: “I’m not going to give you a date by which we can do that, or a promise that we will do it, as other governments have done in terms of a particular deadline.” He vowed that he and the Home Secretary would not stop until they “bear down every element of this criminal, illegal activity”.
Mr Burnham also suggested to BBC South that the Government is “looking at all of the options” to rescue the troubled utilities firm Thames Water. The Prime Minister has previously expressed a desire for more “public control” over water companies amid pollution and leakage scandals, while his MPs are calling for Thames in particular to be placed under Government control.
