Prime Minister Andy Burnham says he will not call an early general election, including next May, and there will be no poll “anytime soon”. Ahead of Labour’s conference, he said his focus is helping people with living costs and businesses meet operating costs.
Burnham is due at his first Labour conference as prime minister in Liverpool, opening Sunday. Media reports said some advisers had considered an election as early as next year; recent polling projected Labour losing its Commons majority but remaining the largest party, with Reform UK and the Conservatives close behind.
An early election could give Burnham a mandate of his own and free him from commitments in Labour’s 2024 manifesto. The next general election must be held by August 2029.
