Kemi Badenoch has warned Tories to be ready for a snap election in May – despite Andy Burnham‘s desperate efforts to kill off rumours.
As she prepares to kick off the party’s conference this weekend, Mrs Badenoch pointed out that all the PM’s policies require a national vote.
Speculation has persisted about an early election even though Mr Burnham publicly declared the idea ‘dead’ last week.
Since then he has pledged to scrap the state pension triple lock to help fund huge social care reforms – but only after an election.
Mrs Badenoch told the BBC in a pre-conference interview: ‘I do think Andy Burnham is going to call an election sooner than he is saying…
Kemi Badenoch has warned Tories to be ready for a snap election in May – despite Andy Burnham’s desperate efforts to kill off rumours
Your browser does not support iframes.
‘All the policies he announced are for after an election, so if he’s not calling an election why is he talking about things happening in 2030?’
She added: ‘We could be having a general election next May.’
Mrs Badenoch slammed the premier for ‘saying everything with a smile’ but having ‘very different plans for us and for our country’.
Polls have generally been showing a bounce for Labour since Mr Burnham ousted Keir Starmer.
However, the party’s advantage is still nowhere near enough to secure an outright majority.
A snap election in May would be a massive risk for the PM, with the Government currently holding an historic majority and more than two years left in the Parliament.
Those in favour of the idea hope that Labour would improve its position during a campaign.
Mr Burnham used a set round of pre-conference broadcast interviews on Friday to say he was ‘knocking dead’ rumours of an election before 2029.
Speculation has persisted about an early election even though Mr Burnham publicly declared the idea ‘dead’ last week
