Rishi Sunak has appeared to commit to a general election in 2024, rather than pushing out his administration into the first month of 2025.
In a speech to journalists at Number 10, the prime minister confirmed next year will definitely be an election year, putting the UK on course to clash with an election in the US.
Sunak has been under mounting pressure to call a general election as he crawls behind Labour in the polls.
A Tory civil war over his emergency legislation to save his Rwanda plan led to further calls for him to let Brits have their say at the polls.
In October, polling by More in Common suggested close to three-quarters of Brits (73 per cent) want to see a General Election before May – while just 12 per cent are happy to wait until January 2025, the latest month an election can be held.
At around the same time, Sunak appeared to signal that his team had set their sights on an autumn election after posting a video asking: “So what can a country achieve in 52 weeks? Watch this space.”
There have been other reports that Tory strategists are said to have pencilled in October 31 as a date for the election. This would be to allow the Conservatives enough time for the economy to recover, but not too long that they look despairing.
Meanwhile, in his Autumn Statement announcement, Jeremy Hunt dropped a sneaky hint the election could be held in the Spring.
Hunt’s plan to slash National Insurance by 2 per cent lent weight to the theory that May could be the date Sunak goes to the country.
Normally tax cutting measures in fiscal events take effect from the following tax year – in this case April next year – but Mr Hunt announced he’d be making the cut in January instead, leaving voters with enough time to feel the benefit before a possible May election.
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