Rishi Sunak said his “working assumption” is the next general election will be held in the second half of 2024 as he appeared to rule out holding a contest in May.
Speaking to broadcasters during a visit to a youth centre in Mansfield, the Prime Minister said: “So, my working assumption is we’ll have a general election in the second half of this year and in the meantime I’ve got lots that I want to get on with.”
Pressed if he could rule out a May election, he repeated it was his “working assumption” that the vote will be held later in the year.
The comments prompted Sir Keir Starmer to demand Mr Sunak set a date for the contest rather than “squatting” in No10 while the Liberal Democrats claimed the premier was “running scared” of an election in May.
The repeal of the Fixed-term Parliaments Act in 2022 restored the ability of prime ministers to set election dates. However, by law a general election has to take place at least every five years. That means the absolute latest the next election can take place is the end of January 2025.
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