Rishi Sunak anticipated to set normal election date later at this time – updates
Rishi Sunak is strongly rumoured to be on the verge of calling a general election after months of frenzied speculation.
The PM ordered Foreign Secretary David Cameron to cut short a trip to Albania for a Cabinet meeting. And Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has delayed an international visit in order to be present.
It comes after it was announced this morning that inflation had fallen to 2.3% – slightly above the 2.1% that economists had expected. No10 poured petrol on speculation about an imminent election by refusing to rule it out.
Cabinet members are set to gather in Downing Street at 4.15pm. It comes after Mr Sunak earlier refused to bat away rumours that the UK will go to the polls in the summer when asked at PMQs.
Challenged by the SNP’s Stephen Flynn, the PM maintained there will be an election in the second half of 2024, but declined to say more. He said: “There is – spoiler alert – going to be a general election in the second half of this year.
“At that moment, the British people will in fact see the truth about the honourable gentleman opposite me, because that will be the choice at the next election Mr Speaker, a party that is not able to say to the country what they would do, a party that would put at risk our hard-earned economic stability, or the Conservatives that are delivering a secure future for our United Kingdom.”
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No10 fans flames by refusing to shut down election rumours
Downing Street did nothing to quell the speculation – with Mr Sunak’s press secretary telling reporters in Westminster she was “not going to rule anything in or out”.
The press secretary also highlighted Wednesday’s “good inflation news”, after Mr Sunak earlier declared inflation is “back to normal” in a “major milestone” for the country.
It follows a difficult period for the Conservatives, who have suffered two defections by backbench MPs and a drubbing at the local elections earlier this month.
Labour urged Mr Sunak to “get on with it” and trigger a general election. A Labour spokesman said: “We are fully ready to go whenever the Prime Minister calls an election.
“We have a fully organised and operational campaign ready to go and we think the country is crying out for a general election so would urge the Prime Minister to get on with it.”
No 10 also refused to comment on claims that Mr Sunak might instead be about to announce a reshuffle, or that Jeremy Hunt could step down as Chancellor. “We don’t comment on reshuffle speculation,” his press secretary said.
The latest possible date Mr Sunak could hold the election is January 28 2025.
Polls not looking for good for Tories or unpopular Rishi Sunak
The general election is unlikely to end well for the Prime Minister, latest polling shows.
The YouGov/Times voting intention poll has the Conservatives on 20% , with Labour on 47%.
Rishi Sunak continues to be very unpopular, with only 20% having a positive view of him while 71% have a negative view of him.
This gives a net favourability score of -51 this month, his joint lowest to date. Keir Starmer is much more popular than his rival, but will still be disappointed in his ratings.
YouGov says 34% have a positive view of the Labour leader, while 51% have a negative one, giving him a net score of -17.
Why has speculation intensified today?
Rumours began to swirl around Westminster after figures showed inflation falling to 2.3% in April – just shy of the Bank of England’s target and the lowest level since July 2021. Mr Sunak boasted it was a “major moment for the economy” and went on to claim “brighter days are ahead”.
The rumour mill at Westminster was sent into overdrive after reports suggested senior government ministers have not been told what is on the agenda for today’s Cabinet meeting at No10. The meeting is usually held on Tuesday morning but is being held at 4pm today due to the PM’s visit to Vienna yesterday.
But in an unusual move the Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron has also cut short a trip to Albania to be back in time for the meeting. A plane thought to be carrying Lord Cameron back to the UK was expected to land at an RAF airfield in London shortly before 3pm.
Mr Sunak chickened out of a general election in May – to coincide with the local and mayoral elections – but he has refused to rule out the prospect of a summer election. The Tory leader has repeatedly said it is his “working assumption” a vote will be held in the second half of 2024 with his party still trailing Keir Starmer’s Labour in the national polls.
