Andy Burnham says he won’t call a snap election
He has now ruled out calling an early vote amid speculation that this is something he was considering
Andy Burnham has ruled out calling a snap general election if he becomes prime minister, after members of his team reportedly failed to deny that he may call an early vote.
A spokesperson for Burnham has now told Bloomberg that he does not intend to call an election if he wins the Makerfield by-election and goes on to replace Keir Starmer.
On Sunday, the Sun reported that senior Labour sources had said Burnham was open to calling an early election to secure his own mandate to govern.
The Sun said Burnham’s team had not denied the claims, but now they have.
This means he would govern until the next election in 2029 if he enters 10 Downing Street.
Last week, former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman warned that calling an early general election would be a risk, not an opportunity, and said it was a reason to stick with Starmer.
With a new YouGov poll today showing that Labour is currently polling on 18%, and Reform on 27%, many Labour MPs who are concerned about losing their seats will be relieved that Burnham has ruled out calling an election.
Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward
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