Burnham rules out early general election amid polling lead for Labour

David Lynch, Will Meakin-Durrant, and George Lithgow, Press Association Political Staff

Andy Burnham has ruled out calling an early general election, as he prepares for his first Labour conference as Prime Minister.

The next test of public opinion at the ballot box will not be until 2029, the Prime Minister also said in a round of interviews ahead of the Liverpool gathering.

Mr Burnham said he wants to “draw a line” and focus on helping the public feel “a bit of hope in their lives”, rather than begin another divisive electoral cycle.

Several media reports in recent days have suggested close advisers to the Prime Minister are weighing up the prospect of an election as early as next year, following polling which said Labour would remain the largest party – though short of a parliamentary majority – if a snap election were called.

A general election victory would allow the Prime Minister more room to set out his own agenda for governing the country, rather than being tied to promises in the 2024 manifesto which Sir Keir Starmer stood on.

Asked by BBC West’s political editor Paul Barltrop whether he is tempted to call an election, Mr 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.

“I’m focused on the job as Prime Minister doing what I said I would do.

“I will lay out a big speech in Liverpool next week, which will say further about the direction I want to take the country in the coming period.

“The focus is on that: helping people with the cost of living, helping businesses with the costs of running a business.

“These have got to be the priorities right now rather than throwing the country into a backward-looking process where we are arguing again amongst ourselves.

“The time has come, draw a line, get the country looking forward, pulling together, people feeling a bit of hope in their lives again, that’s what I’m trying to do and I hope to take it further in the coming period rather than putting people back into an election cycle.”

Asked by ITV Calendar’s Fred Dimbleby if the next election would be in 2029, the Prime Minister replied: “Yes, that’s when the next election will be.

“All of this speculation on an early election, I can knock that dead.”

Brexit

Elsewhere in the round of interviews, Mr Burnham told BBC South East that the number of migrants crossing the English Channel illegally had been made worse by Brexit.

“I do point to the loss of collaboration with neighbours that came with Brexit. That hasn’t helped,” he said.

He added that the Government would seek to stop crossings altogether, but said: “I’m not going to give you a date by which we can do that, or a promise that we will do it, as other governments have done in terms of a particular deadline.

“But what I will say to you is I will not stop, nor will the Home Secretary, until we bear down every element of this criminal, illegal activity and that we do so in a way that gets the numbers right now.”

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