(Bloomberg) — The UK prime minister refused to pin down a date for a general election ahead of key regional votes this week that are viewed as a bellwether for the Conservative Party’s success.
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In an interview with Trevor Phillips on Sky’s Sunday Morning, Rishi Sunak said that he will not comment on whether a national vote will happen in July. “You’re going to try and draw whatever conclusion you want from what I say,” Sunak said. “You should just listen to what I said, same thing I’ve said all year.”
Speculation over when the prime minister will call a vote — which must take place before January next year — has continued to grip Westminster. Although aides have attempted to paint the past week as Sunak’s best in office, the results of local council and mayoral elections on Thursday could drive some within his own party to push for a new leader.
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The Tories are defending just under 1,000 seats won in 2021 across local councils, but the party’s national support has slumped since. They currently trail the Labour party by 20 points in the polls.
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