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PoliticsUK PM Burnham rules out snap election, says voters do not want to return to polls
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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. In an interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg, Burnham dismissed mounting speculation at Westminster that he might call a snap election to capitalize on Labour's improved poll ratings and secure his own five-year mandate. Burnham, who became Prime Minister just a week ago after returning to Parliament as MP for Makerfield, emphasized that 20 million people voted for a manifesto and that he intends to honor it within the framework of parliamentary democracy. He noted that he has already faced voters in his constituency during a by-election. Reform UK, whose poll lead has recently diminished, had been among the most vocal proponents of a fresh election. Burnham stressed that his priority is to focus on getting the country back on track rather than calling an early vote, which is not required until 2029.
Source report
New Prime Minister says voters do not want to return to the polls just two years after the last election.
Andy Burnham has ruled out calling an early general election, insisting that the public does not want to go back to the polls so soon after the last vote.
Speculation had been mounting at Westminster that Burnham could call a snap election to capitalise on a bounce in the polls for Labour and to secure his own five-year mandate. However, he is not required to hold one before 2029.
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."
He added:
"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 Prime Minister 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, Citing Voter Fatigue