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PoliticsUK PM Burnham rules out early general election
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UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has definitively ruled out calling an early general election, stating that voters do not want to return to the polls just two years after the last election. Speculation had been mounting at Westminster that Burnham, who became Prime Minister barely a month after returning to Parliament as MP for Makerfield, might call a snap election to capitalize on a bounce in Labour's polls and secure his own five-year mandate. Reform UK, whose poll lead has recently been slashed, had been leading calls for a fresh election. In an interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, Burnham emphasized that 20 million people voted for a manifesto in a parliamentary democracy, and he intends to honor that mandate. He stated his priority is to focus on getting the country working again, rather than calling an early election.
Source report
Prime Minister insists voters do not want a return to the polls just two years after the last election.
Andy Burnham has ruled out calling an early general election, insisting that voters do not want to go back to the polls so soon after the last national vote.
Speculation had been mounting at Westminster that the new prime minister could call a snap election to capitalise on a bounce in the polls for Labour and secure his own five-year mandate from the public.
Burnham became Prime Minister last Monday, barely a month after returning to parliament for the first time in nine years as the MP for Makerfield.
Reform UK, whose poll lead has been slashed in recent months, had led calls for a fresh election.
But asked by the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg if he was planning one, Burnham said:
“There is no general election. And the thing I would say to you is 20 million people voted for a manifesto. We’re in a parliamentary democracy, so that is what people voted for, and I will honour that manifesto.
“Obviously, I have faced the public in Makerfield. At the time I stood forward in that by-election, people said ‘oh my goodness, that constituency voted Reform in May, that’s a risk.’
“I went and faced the public and I went out onto those doorsteps. So I have done that. I’ve got support of colleagues in parliament, and it’s a parliamentary democracy that we’re in.”
Pressed again on whether he was ruling out an early election, the PM said:
“Well I’m going to rule it out. There’s no early general election. I don’t think people want it.
“The opinion polls might say some people do, some people don’t. I just think what I most need to do is get Britain focused on getting the country back where it should be, getting it working.”
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Source
HuffPost UK - Athena2 - All Entries (Public)Western
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Andy Burnham Rules Out Early General Election