Justice Secretary Alex Norris and Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander both refused to answer questions about whether Prime Minister Andy Burnham will call a snap general election. The two Cabinet ministers dodged the question at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, with both striding off instead of engaging.
Ministers decline to respond
Mr Norris also did not respond when asked about the Budget next month or what he was looking forward to at the annual gathering. Reports have suggested some of Mr Burnham's advisers have been considering an election before 2029, when the next general election is scheduled.
Ahead of the conference, Mr Burnham attempted to "knock dead" a rumour that he is considering an early election. Asked about media reports he was weighing up the prospect of an election as soon as next year, Mr Burnham replied: "All of this speculation on an early election, I can knock that dead."
Prime Minister's position
He told ITV Calendar the next election will be in 2029 and said to the BBC he was focused on his job as PM. Mr Burnham took over from Sir Keir Starmer in July, having entered the Commons after the Makerfield by-election the previous month.
A snap general election would free Mr Burnham from the commitments Labour made in its 2024 manifesto and provide him with his own mandate. Recent polling suggests Labour would lose its majority but retain its position as the largest party if a snap election were called.
Polling expert's warning
Polling expert Sir John Curtice, speaking at a fringe event at the conference, said Labour is not "in a position where it could contemplate an early election". The Professor of Politics at the University of Strathclyde said that was a "message that the Prime Minister seems to have quite clearly learned".
He said earlier: "You have heard a lot about the mega polls in recent days, and these, in a sense, put a clear sense of reality on the fact yes, the party is ahead. Yes, it’s now ahead of Reform, but that in itself... is not enough for anybody to contemplate the idea that this party is currently, at least, in a position where it could contemplate an early election."
Professor Curtice said Reform UK peaked in the polls "12 months ago" and if anyone would succeed in eliminating its leader, Nigel Farage, it is going to be the Conservatives, not Labour.
