Prime Minister Andy Burnham has again ruled out a snap general election, insisting the next vote will not take place before 2029, as he prepares for his first Labour Party conference as Prime Minister.
His comments appear to end recent media speculation that close advisers were weighing up the possibility of an election as early as next year, following polling that suggested Labour would remain the largest party – though short of a parliamentary majority – if a snap election were called.
PM insists next election in 2029
“No, no election any time soon. I’m focused on the job as Prime Minister doing what I said I would do,” he told broadcasters on Friday.
“I will lay out a big speech in Liverpool next week, which will say further about the direction I want to take the country in the coming period.”
“The focus is on that: helping people with the cost of living, helping businesses with the costs of running a business. These have got to be the priorities right now rather than throwing the country into a backward-looking process where we are arguing again amongst ourselves.”
“The time has come, draw a line, get the country looking forward, pulling together, people feeling a bit of hope in their lives again, that’s what I’m trying to do and I hope to take it further in the coming period rather than putting people back into an election cycle.”
Sticking to 2024 manifesto
The Manchester Evening News first revealed that Mr Burnham was ruling out a snap election back in July, following his first day at No 10 North in Manchester. Asked then if he was going to call a general election, Mr Burnham said: “No I’m not. I don’t think that is right. We live in a parliamentary democracy. There was a manifesto in 2024. I’m sticking to that manifesto.”
He reiterated that point on Friday. When asked if the next election would be in 2029, the Prime Minister said: “Yes, that’s when the next election will be. All of this speculation on an early election, I can knock that dead.”
Brexit and Channel crossings
Elsewhere in the round of interviews, Mr Burnham said 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 said: “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. But what I will say to you is I will not stop, nor will the Home Secretary, until we bear down every element of this criminal, illegal activity and that we do so in a way that gets the numbers right now.”
