Keir Starmer accuses PM of ‘squatting in No 10’ after Rishi Sunak’s general election hint
Rishi Sunak has given the clearest hint yet about when he will call a general election, saying his “working assumption” is that it will happen in the second half of this year.
Speculation has been rife for months about when the prime minister will choose to go to the polls.
Politics latest: One date thought to be frontrunner for election this year
Technically, he can wait until December before calling an election, meaning voters would then cast their ballots in January 2025.
But Mr Sunak has narrowed down the timeframe for an election the polls suggest the Tories will lose, which would bring to an end 14 years in power under five prime ministers.
Speaking to broadcasters on a visit to a youth centre in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, he said: “So, my working assumption is we’ll have a general election in the second half of this year and in the meantime I’ve got lots that I want to get on with.”
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during a visit to a youth centre in Mansfield
The Conservative leader declined to rule out a May election categorically – but repeated his intentions to call one later in the year.
“I want to keep going, managing the economy well and cutting people’s taxes,” Mr Sunak said.
“But I also want to keep tackling illegal migration. So I’ve got lots to get on with and I’m determined to keep delivering for the British people.”
Both the Conservatives’ and Labour’s long election campaigns were well under way on Thursday, as both party leaders visited battleground areas.
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‘May election the worst kept secret in parliament’
Labour has claimed a spring vote is the “worst kept secret in parliament”, with party leader Sir Keir Starmer earlier saying in his own speech to voters in Bristol that he is “ready” for a general election whenever it is called.
Responding to Mr Sunak’s remarks which hinted at an autumn vote, Sir Keir accused the prime minister of “delaying” the inevitable.
He told Sky’s political editor Beth Rigby: “People are crying out for change. And I say to the prime minister, what’s he hiding? If he’s not going to set a date, what’s he hiding from the public?
“This has serious implications for the country because he’s basically saying he’s going to be squatting for months and months in Downing Street, dithering and delaying.
“So if he’s not being clear, and I don’t think he’s setting a date, what’s he hiding?”
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‘What’s prime minister hiding from public?’
Asked whether he would prefer a vote in the first half of the year, Sir Keir said: “I would like to see an election as soon as possible.
“I think the vast majority of the public want to see an election as soon as possible, and the reason is that the choice now is to turn our back on 14 years of decline and usher in a decade of national renewal with hope and change.”
He added: “People can’t afford for the prime minister to be squatting for months on end this year.”
The Liberal Democrats have also been calling for Mr Sunak to hold the vote in May rather than trying to “cling on” to power for the rest of the year.
Lib Dem leader Ed Davey accused Mr Sunak of “running scared” of a May election.
He said: “Squatter Sunak is holed up in Downing Street, desperately clinging on to power rather than facing the verdict of the British people.
“We need an election in spring, so that voters can finally get rid of this appalling and out-of-touch Conservative government.”
Analysis: PM will be hoping ‘squatting’ charge over election timing won’t stick
The prime minister has thoroughly stolen the thunder and headlines from Sir Keir Starmer’s new year speech with the revelation that his “working assumption” is that a general election will be held in the second half of the year.
Speculation in Westminster had been growing that the Tories were preparing to go to the polls in May – particularly after confirming over Christmas the spring budget would be delivered in March.
Many believed the strategy was for the chancellor to offer a generous series of tax cuts as a sweetening springboard into an early trip to the ballot box.
Pundits pointed out that this would avoid the embarrassing fallout from another drubbing at the local elections and a summer of small boat arrivals – and activists, it’s thought, would be more enthusiastic about pounding the pavements and knocking on doors in milder weather, particularly if they were doing so anyway on behalf of local council candidates.
But with Labour riding so consistently high in the polls and only one of his five pledges met (halving inflation), Rishi Sunak is clearly unconvinced by these arguments.
With the path to a Tory victory at any time of year so incredibly narrow, others believe the PM just wants to maximise his time in office. Indeed, speaking to reporters today he argues he’s still got plenty more to do in terms of “managing the economy well and cutting people’s taxes” as well as “tackling illegal migration”.
Delivering on illegal migration means successfully forcing his emergency Rwanda legislation through both houses of parliament, and past future legal challenges.
It’s the key challenge for Mr Sunak and his team at present; many advisors believe finally getting deportation flights off the ground, combined with a dramatic economic recovery, is perhaps his only real hope of clinging on to power at the next election.
Needless to say the opposition parties aren’t happy.
The Liberal Democrats yesterday called for a return to the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, to take away the PM’s power to call elections as the most opportune political moment. They’ve accused Mr Sunak of “bottling” the opportunity to call an election – with echoes of Gordon Brown’s perceived dithering in the autumn of 2007.
Both Sir Ed Davey and Sir Keir say Mr Sunak is “squatting” in Downing Street – with Sir Keir arguing that both he and the country want to see an election as soon as possible.
The PM will be hoping he’s set out his timetable early enough to avoid that charge sticking; but don’t expect the calls for an immediate national vote to calm down any time soon.
Reform UK has ruled out entering into any electoral pacts with the Tories.
Mr Sunak warned against voting for Reform UK amid fears the right-wing party could steal votes from the Conservatives.
He said: “A vote for anybody who’s not a Conservative candidate, a Conservative MP, is a vote for Keir Starmer in power.
“There’s only going to be two options for prime minister after the next election, it’s either going to be me or Keir Starmer. A vote for anyone who is not a Conservative is a vote for Keir Starmer in power.”
He added: “What’s the issue that has motivated a lot of these conversations? It’s illegal migration. So, what’s my track record? Well, I’m the first person to actually cut the numbers, and cut them not just by a little, but cut them by over a third in my first year in power.
“We’re going to pass our Rwanda Bill through parliament, get that scheme up and running, and that will provide the further deterrent we need to grip this once and for all.”
In a media interview, Chair Paul Atkins pledged to empower businesses to innovate through tokenization.
Politics
Just 25% of public think Sir Keir Starmer will win next election – with welfare row partly to blame
Only a quarter of British adults think Sir Keir Starmer will win the next general election, as the party’s climbdown over welfare cuts affects its standing with the public.
A fresh poll by Ipsos, shared with Sky News, also found 63% do not feel confident the government is running the country competently, similar to levels scored by previous Conservative administrations under Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak in July 2022 and February 2023, respectively.
Politics latest: ‘A moment of intense peril’ for PM
The survey of 1,080 adults aged 18-75 across Great Britain was conducted online between 27 and 30 June 2025, when Labour began making the first of its concessions, suggesting the party’s turmoil over its own benefits overhaul is partly to blame.
The prime minister was forced into an embarrassing climbdown on Tuesday night over his plans to slash welfare spending, after it became apparent he was in danger of losing the vote owing to a rebellion among his own MPs.
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Govt makes last-minute concession on welfare bill
The bill that was put to MPs for a vote was so watered down that the most controversial element – to tighten the eligibility criteria for personal independence payments (PIP) – was put on hold, pending a review into the assessment process by minister Stephen Timms that is due to report back in the autumn.
The government was forced into a U-turn after Labour MPs signalled publicly and privately that the previous concession made at the weekend to protect existing claimants from the new rules would not be enough.
While the bill passed its first parliamentary hurdle last night, with a majority of 75, 49 Labour MPs still voted against it – the largest rebellion in a prime minister’s first year in office since 47 MPs voted against Tony Blair’s Lone Parent benefit in 1997, according to Professor Phil Cowley from Queen Mary University.
It left MPs to vote on only one element of the original plan – the cut to Universal Credit (UC) sickness benefits for new claimants from £97 a week to £50 from 2026/7.
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Govt makes last-minute concession on welfare bill
An amendment brought by Labour MP Rachael Maskell, which aimed to prevent the bill progressing to the next stage, was defeated but 44 Labour MPs voted for it.
The incident has raised questions about Sir Keir’s authority just a year after the general election delivered him the first Labour landslide victory in decades.
Read more:
How did your MP vote on Labour’s welfare bill?
The PM faced down his party on welfare and lost
And on Wednesday, Downing Street insisted Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, was “not going anywhere” after her tearful appearance in the House of Commons during prime minister’s questions sparked speculation about her political future.
The Ipsos poll also found that two-thirds of British adults are not confident Labour has the right plans to change the way the benefits system works in the UK, including nearly half of 2024 Labour voters.
Keiran Pedley, director of UK Politics at Ipsos, said: “Labour rows over welfare reform haven’t just harmed the public’s view on whether they can make the right changes in that policy area, they are raising wider questions about their ability to govern too.
“The public is starting to doubt Labour’s ability to govern competently and seriously at the same levels they did with Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak’s governments. Labour will hope that this government doesn’t end up going the same way.”
It is hard to think of a PMQs like it – it was a painful watch.
The prime minister battled on, his tone assured, even if his actual words were not always convincing.
But it was the chancellor next to him that attracted the most attention.
Rachel Reeves looked visibly upset.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves (right) crying as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks. Pic: Commons/UK Parliament/PA
It is hard to know for sure right now what was going on behind the scenes, the reasons – predictable or otherwise – why she appeared to be emotional, but it was noticeable and it was difficult to watch.
Reeves looks visibly upset as Starmer defends welfare U-turn – politics latest
Her spokesperson says it was a personal matter that they will not be getting into.
Even Kemi Badenoch, not usually the most nimble PMQs performer, singled her out. “She looks absolutely miserable,” she said.
Anyone wondering if Kemi Badenoch can kick a dog when it’s down has their answer today.
The Tory leader asked the PM if he could guarantee his chancellor’s future: he could not. “She has delivered, and we are grateful for it,” Sir Keir said, almost sounding like he was speaking in the past tense.
Rachel Reeves looked visibly upset behind Keir Starmer at PMQs. Pic PA
It is important to say: Rachel Reeves’s face during one PMQs session is not enough to tell us everything, or even anything, we need to know.
But given the government has just faced its most bruising week yet, it was hard not to speculate. The prime minister’s spokesperson has said since PMQs that the chancellor has not offered her resignation and is not going anywhere.
But Rachel Reeves has surely seen an omen of the impossible decisions ahead.
How will she plug the estimated £5.5bn hole left by the welfare climbdown in the nation’s finances? Will she need to tweak her iron clad fiscal rules? Will she come back for more tax rises? What message does all of this send to the markets?
If a picture tells us a thousand words, Rachel Reeves’s face will surely be blazoned on the front pages tomorrow as a warning that no U-turn goes unpunished.
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