Andy Burnham rules out snap general election before 2029
The prime minister quashed speculation of an early contest, insisting his focus is on the cost of living ahead of a major speech at the Labour conference in Liverpool.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out calling a snap general election before 2029, quashing speculation that Labour’s improved polling could prompt an early contest.
Asked in a round of broadcast interviews ahead of his first Labour conference as prime minister in Liverpool whether he was tempted to go to the country, Burnham replied: “Not particularly. No, I’m not.”
“I see all the speculation and it just races ahead. The media love to do that. No, no election any time soon,” he told BBC West political editor Paul Barltrop. “I’m focused on the job as prime minister doing what I said I would do.”
He said the next test of public opinion at the ballot box would not be until 2029, and that he wants to “draw a line” and focus on helping people feel “a bit of hope in their lives” rather than start another divisive electoral cycle. He is expected to lay out his direction in a big speech in Liverpool next week.
The remarks follow reports that close advisers have weighed an election as early as next year. A YouGov mega-poll this week suggested Labour would emerge as the largest party but with only 241 seats — 85 short of the 326 needed for a Commons majority — with Nigel Farage’s Reform third on 123.
Burnham, who took over from Sir Keir Starmer in No 10 in the summer, can legally wait until the summer of 2029 before calling an election.
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