𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Andy Burnham is facing ongoing speculation that he will call an early general election. The Prime Minister has repeatedly ruled out a snap poll, but Chancellor John Healey’s Budget this week sparked fresh suggestions that he will go to the country before 2029.

Following the Budget on Wednesday, Mr Burnham denied he was planning to call another election within the next year. He said: “I don’t know how many times I’ve done this now, but yes, I can rule out calling a general election in the next 12 months.”

But Tory leader Kemi Badenoch insisted that the Budget was “all about an election”.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain yesterday, she said she did not believe the Prime Minister when he said one would not be called within the year.

She said: “I actually think that they were preparing for one much sooner. I think they were hoping the Budget would land a bit better.

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“I think Andy Burnham, like many politicians, just thinks about elections, doesn’t actually know how to run the country – and that is a worry.”

Meanwhile, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described the Chancellor’s statement as “a retail Budget aimed at an early general election”.

The Reform UK leader said: “It doesn’t overall do very much, but it attempts to please a very large number of people.”

Labour has pushed back major decisions, including on how the UK will reach 3% of GDP on defence spending and welfare cuts.

But the Budget included smaller measures aimed at giving Britons struggling with the cost of living “breathing space”, with a £100 energy support payment to be made to households in council tax bands A to D in January.