British PM Sunak says he expects general election in second half of 2024

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said it is his “working assumption” that a general election will be called for during the second half of 2024.

“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,” he told reporters during a visit to Nottinghamshire on Thursday.

Sunak refused to rule out holding an election in May, coinciding with local elections, but said he had to get the economy back on track.

“I want to keep going, managing the economy well and cutting people’s taxes, but I also want to keep tackling illegal migration,” Sunak said. “I’ve got lots to get on with, and I’m determined to keep delivering for the British people.”

The Tories, who have had five leaders and prime ministers since they were elected in 2010, are widely expected to struggle in the election and they are trailing behind the Labour Party in the polls.

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer also made his first appearance of the New Year in Bristol on Thursday.

Starmer is aiming to return his left-of-centre party, out of office since 2010, back to power in an election that must be held by January 2025.

“We are ready for an election. I think the country is ready for elections. People are crying out for change. And I say to the prime minister, what is he hiding?” Starmer told Sky News.

“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”.