Election on cards ‘in second half of this year’
THE country will go to the poll within the next 12 months to choose a new government.
The last general election took place in December 2019 when Boris Johnson and the Conservative
Party won a landslide victory with a majority of 80 seats.
As a result, it means the next general election must take place by January 2025.
Before then there will be local elections up and down the country in May - with mayors and council seats up for grabs.
In Greater Manchester, a third of seats will be up in all 10 local councils and mayors Andy Burnham and Paul Dennett will also be defending their positions.
These elections are due
to take place on May 2 and there had been speculation that a general election could also take place on the same day.
However this now appears unlikely.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said
it is his “working assumption” that he would not be sending the public to the polls in the spring. He told broadcasters on a visit to a youth centre in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire: “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.”
The Conservative leader declined to rule out a May election categorically but repeated his intentions to go for later in the year.
It comes as opposition leaders continued to call on the Prime Minister to call an earlier election - accusing him of ‘squatting’ in Downing Street.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused him of “dithering and delaying” while the Liberal Democrats claimed Mr Sunak had “bottled it” amid dire polling for the Tories.
Sir Keir told Sky News: “We are ready for an election, I think the country is ready for election, people are crying out for change.
“If he’s not going to set a date, what’s he hiding from the public?
“This has serious implications for the country because he’s basically saying he’s going to be squatting for months and months in Downing Street, dithering and delaying.”
And Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey accused the Prime Minister of having
“bottled it” as he is “running scared” of a May election.
“Squatter Sunak is holed up in Downing Street, desperately clinging on to power rather than facing the verdict of the British people.”