The deputy prime minister has opened the door to a possible January 2025 general election, despite Rishi Sunak insisting he will go to the polls later this year.
Oliver Dowden said 2024 will “almost certainly” be a general election year, but did not rule out the prospect of a contest happening next year.
The latest possible date for an election is 28 January 2025, meaning Mr Sunak could delay the vote for a further 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 local elections across the country.
Responding to Mr Dowden’s comments, Labour’s national campaign coordinator Pat McFadden MP said: “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.”
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “Rishi Sunak needs to put the country out of its misery and name an election date now.
“People across the country are fed up with this endless speculation of when the election will be.”
She added that “the public deserve the chance to deliver their verdict in the ballot box without any further delay”.
Mr Sunak has repeatedly said it is his “working assumption” that there will be a general election at some point “in the second half of this year”. But the PM has refused calls to “name the date”, which would end the constant speculation about when the general election will be.
He was criticised last week for laughing at a journalist who asked him when the general election would be.
The latest hint at a general election date comes as the Conservatives sit 22 points behind in the polls. A series of polls have shown the party is heading for electoral oblivion, with even Mr Sunak at risk of losing his seat.
A Survation poll of 15,000 people last week suggested defence secretary Grant Shapps, Commons leader Penny Mordaunt and home secretary James Cleverly would also all lose their seats.
The study of individual seats also suggested the Tories would be wiped out in Scotland and Wales and hold just 98 seats in England.
It also predicted a landslide victory for Labour, with Sir Keir Starmer’s party winning 468 seats, while the Scottish National Party would pick up 41 seats, the Liberal Democrats 22 and Plaid Cymru two.
If correct, it would see a massive swing away from the Tories based on the 2019 general election, when it won 365 seats.
Asked about the dire polling, Mr Dowden told 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.”
