Deputy PM Oliver Dowden hints January 2025 general election is possible

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The deputy prime minister has opened the door to a possible January 2025 general election, regardless of Rishi Sunak insisting he’ll go to the polls later this yr.

Oliver Dowden mentioned 2024 will “almost certainly” be a general election yr, however didn’t rule out the prospect of a contest taking place subsequent yr.

The newest possible date for an election is 28 January 2025, that means Mr Sunak may delay the vote for an extra eight months.

He was already accused of being a “chicken” and “squatting in Downing Street” after ruling out holding the general election on 2 May, when voters will go to the polls for native elections throughout the nation.

Responding to Mr Dowden’s feedback, Labour’s nationwide marketing campaign coordinator Pat McFadden MP mentioned: “The public are paying the price for the chaos of this clapped out Conservative government.

“The prime minister needs to get on and name a date for the election rather than running scared from the voters.

“Labour has a plan for a better future for Britain, through higher economic growth, high quality public services, and safer streets. The sooner the voters get their say the better.”

Mr Sunak has repeatedly mentioned it is his “working assumption” that there can be a general election sooner or later “in the second half of this year”. But the PM has refused calls to “name the date”, which might finish the fixed hypothesis about when the general election can be.

He was criticised final week for laughing at a journalist who requested him when the general election can be.

The newest trace at a general election date comes because the Conservatives sit 22 factors behind within the polls. A sequence of polls have proven the social gathering is heading for electoral oblivion, with even Mr Sunak vulnerable to shedding his seat.

A Survation ballot of 15,000 folks final week advised defence secretary Grant Shapps, Commons chief Penny Mordaunt and residential secretary James Cleverly would additionally all lose their seats.

The research of particular person seats additionally advised the Tories can be worn out in Scotland and Wales and maintain simply 98 seats in England.

It additionally predicted a landslide victory for Labour, with Sir Keir Starmer’s social gathering profitable 468 seats, whereas the Scottish National Party would decide up 41 seats, the Liberal Democrats 22 and Plaid Cymru two.

If appropriate, it might see an enormous swing away from the Tories primarily based on the 2019 general election, when it gained 365 seats.

Asked in regards to the dire polling, Mr Dowden instructed Sky News: “As we as we get into an actual election campaign, and this almost certainly is an election year, we move from a kind of referendum on the government to a choice.

“I’m confident as people face that choice and they look at the threat of Labour, whether it is building over the green belt in my constituency, carte blanche to do that, whether it’s in relation to their employment laws, which are going to destroy the jobs market, or it’s in relation to their sums that don’t add up versus our plan, you will see those numbers narrowing.

“I’m totally confident of that.”