Voters demand a general election now as Rishi Sunak dithers over May poll

10 March 2024 , 18:00

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Rishi Sunak is dithering over whether to hold a general election in May (Image: Getty Images)

Rishi Sunak has been told to get on and call a general election as he dithers over whether to hold a vote in May.

The Prime Minister yesterday did not rule out a snap poll amid speculation he could set the date within days.

Labour believes Mr Sunak will confirm his election plan next week so it can be held on May 2, the same day as the local elections.

A new poll shows the British people want a ballot so they can finally have their say on how the country is run. Given the choice of when the vote should be held between now and January, May was the most popular option with 33% saying they want it then. More than a quarter (26%) of Tory voters said the same.

Some 15% of all voters picked June, 13% October, 7% November, while just 2% said December and 7% January. The survey, commissioned by Labour Together, found half of people (50%) thought delaying the election to January, which is the very latest it can be held, would be “unacceptable”.

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Josh Simons, Director of Labour Together, said: ”The public are crying out for change, desperate to hand Rishi Sunak his P45. For once, he should put the country first and let Britain go to the polls rather than squatting in Downing Street. Then the grown-ups can get on with fixing the mess made by the Tories over the last 14 years.”

Labour Together interviewed 2,014 adults in Great Britain online between February 18 and 20.

The growing calls for a general election come as Mr Sunak fails to turn the economy around. Critics have warned that the country is broken after 14 years of Tory rule. The economy is in recession, families are struggling with the rising cost of living, patients face huge NHS waiting lists and classrooms have been closed because of dodgy concrete in schools.

The Prime Minister was handed the keys of No10 in October 2022 without a single vote being cast by Tory MPs, party members or the public. He has binned the Conservatives’ 2019 election manifesto as well as the pledges he made when he ran against Liz Truss to be leader.

Mr Sunak promised to lead a government with “integrity, professionalism and accountability” at every level, but he has faced a series of sleaze scandals.

Parliament must be dissolved at least 25 working days before an election. The latest opinion polls suggest the Budget has failed to convince voters, with the Tories still trailing Labour by as much as 27 points.

More than 209,000 people have now signed the Mirror’s General Election Now petition on the 38 Degrees website.

John Stevens