Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out calling a snap general election, insisting the next vote will go ahead as scheduled in 2029. His comments come despite Kemi Badenoch reportedly telling her Tory team to be ready for a December ballot.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, the Makerfield MP said he can "knock that dead" when asked about an early election. Speculation had mounted that he could call a snap ballot after his Budget in October.
Labour Conference in Liverpool
Mr Burnham made the remarks as Labour members and MPs head to Liverpool for their annual party conference, where attention will focus on the Prime Minister's plans for the years ahead.
He previously called for early elections when the Tories changed leaders in the turbulent period following the Covid pandemic, writing on social media: "We need to start demanding a General Election at the end of this Tory leadership election."
Badenoch's warning
Mrs Badenoch branded the Labour leader a "gambler", telling LBC: "I think it is this December. I think Andy Burnham is a gambler. I think he might fancy his chances, but we fancy ours as well."
Polling from Ipsos ahead of the Labour Conference shows the Tories on 21%, Labour on 27% and Reform UK on 23%.
Speaking to ITV, Mr Burnham said: "All of this speculation on an early election, I can knock that dead. You know people want me, new in the office, to be getting on with the job of delivering."
He added that he did not want to put "self-serving politics before that, which is what I would be doing if I call an election. I am not going to do that."
Poll findings
Just 61% of the Labour Party's 2024 voters say they would stick with Mr Burnham next time around, the Ipsos poll revealed.
Gideon Skinner, Head of Political Research at Ipsos in the UK, said: "Andy Burnham rides into Liverpool this weekend with plenty of reasons for cautious optimism.
"Labour now lead in the opinion polls and is retaining more of their 2024 vote than under Keir Starmer. In particular, Burnham seems more effective at keeping Labour’s left flank of voters on board.
"Part of Labour’s recent success comes down to Andy Burnham’s personal appeal. He is preferred as PM to his main rivals and is more liked than them and his own party.
"However, it remains to be seen how far this personal appeal can take Labour. While Burnham appears to be well-liked, the public is less clear that he is doing a good job as Prime Minister, with his satisfaction ratings as PM two months in lukewarm by historic standards. With a challenging by-election and Budget ahead, neither Burnham nor Labour can take their recent uptick in fortunes for granted."
